Boris Becker has compared the burgeoning rivalry between Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic to Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's great duopoly and expects it to continue at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London this week.
Until Djokovic rocketed to the top of the pile with his stunning 2011 season, the era had been defined by the achievements of and battles between Federer and Nadal, arguably the greatest the sport has ever seen.
All four men have won grand slam titles this season, with Murray finally breaking his duck at the US Open, and it is the Scot and Djokovic who have recently taken centre stage.
Murray's major breakthrough came with a five-set win over Djokovic in the final in New York, while last month they played another classic decider in Shanghai.
Murray and Djokovic at a photocall for the ATP World Tour Finals this week
They are guaranteed to meet once more in the group stages at London's O2 Arena this week, and Becker has backed the pair to make it all the way to the final.
The German, who supports the Barclays Ball Kids, said: "It's always a difficult one to predict but I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a Djokovic and Murray final.
"They are having a rivalry similar to the one we've seen between Federer and Nadal and a few of the finals we've seen have been amazing.
"The way they have been playing would suggest they have pulled away but Federer has been the number one for a lot of the year and Nadal won the French Open.
"Tennis is a sport where people pretty much only remember your last one or two matches."
Murray defeated Djokovic in the US Open final in September
Murray and Djokovic were born only a week apart, with the Scot the older, and have been friends since their junior days more than a decade ago.
Murray will aim to finish his season with a first World Tour Finals title on home soil before taking a short break and beginning his preparations for 2013.
The question then will be whether, having won his first grand slam title in his fifth final, Murray can add to his tally, and Becker has no doubt he can.
The six-time slam champion said: "Age wise and performance wise he's at the peak. These days players are at their best between 25 and 28 or 29, so it's perfect timing."
Murray begins his World Tour Finals campaign this afternoon against fifth seed Tomas Berdych while this evening Djokovic takes on last year's runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.