Brilliant Rafael Nadal books Madrid final spot with first victory over Novak Djokovic since 2014

It was his first victory over French Open champion Djokovic since winning the French Open final in 2014.

It was also a 14th straight victory on clay this season with Nadal back to his very best on his favourite surface in reaching a sixth final of the year.

The serve and backhand were particularly potent in the 50th meeting between the men. Djokovic leads the head-to-heads 26-24, but was simply brushed aside in the first set. The Serbian rallied in the second set, but could not restore parity despite saving two match points when trailing 5-4 in the second set.

Only a magnificent drop shot from Nadal at break point down denied Djokovic the chance to break back to 5-5, but it summed up perfectly the mood Nadal is in at the moment.

Djokovic had won the past seven meetings between the pair, including three on clay, with nine-times French Open winner Nadal's last victory astonishingly coming at Roland Garros three years ago.

"He was playing unbelievable in the seven matches against me, but I felt I was getting a bit closer in Rome and Indian Wells last year when I had big chances. I'm happy to be in the final, even though Novak wasn't at his best," said Nadal on Sky Sports. "I think I played a great first set, but the second set was more equal.

"I'm enjoying competing well against all the opponents. I've had a lot of success since the start of the year, and I'm enjoying every day."

He will face eighth seed Dominic Thiem in the final on Sunday as he bids for a fifth Madrid Open title.

Austrian Thiem reached his first Masters final with a 6-4 6-4 win over Pablo Cuevas in a match that ran until midnight.

"I'm in another final, it means a lot to me. I'm ready for tomorrow against a very tough opponent," said Nadal.

Nadal is bidding for a third straight title on clay having claimed victories in Monte Carlo and Barcelona to boost hopes of regaining the world number one ranking for the first time in three years.

"It was really good to play in the semi-finals of a big event, and to play against one of the top rivals I have in my life. I haven't had that feeling in months, so it's great to feel that," said Djokovic.

"It was a positive week, a positive experience. I take, as I say, more positives than negatives into the next week in Rome. As I go along, I hope to continue getting better and getting stronger."

This tennis season continues to get wonderfully weirder.

Having witnessed 35-year-old Roger Federer unlock the anti-aging potion to claim victories in the Australian Open, Indian Wells and Miami at the outset of the year before opting against pushing his luck against the dirtballers on his weakest surface of clay, Rafael Nadal has stepped inside his tennis tardis to travel back through time to a decade ago when he and the artful Roger were lording it over the rest of the sport's fraternity, including it must be said Djokovic, who was number three in the world at the end of 2007.

There is every chance Djokovic will finish third or fourth best in the world at the end of 2017, a year that is rapidly becoming a joust between Federer and Nadal to topple Andy Murray from the summit of the game.

If Nadal wins Madrid, he will win for a third straight week. With Rome and the French Open on the horizon, the Spanish player has huge possibilities to claim five titles on his favourite surface with Federer playing the French Open more in hope than expectation before rejoining the tour for the grass and hardcourt segments of the season.

In studying Nadal's movement in completing a first win over Djokovic since 2014, it is wiser that Federer opted for hibernation rather than over-extend his ambition.

Yet Federer played the Australian Open in hope in January and managed to usurp Nadal for an 18th Grand Slam. It is dangerous to make any predictions in this season without being made to look foolish ahead of the second Grand Slam of the season at Roland Garros.

Who would have thought we would have reached the second week of May with Nadal and Federer - two men battling injuries in the death throes of 2016 - firmly back on top in tennis? These are fascinating times with yesterday's men proving they are very much of the here and now.

In their thirst for perfection, Nadal and Federer prove that time cannot cull class.