The recent months have seen the emergence of former heavyweight star Rafael Nadal who continues to impress after phenomenal outings at the Australian Open, Miami and Monte-Carlo Masters.
Coming into the Madrid Open, Nadal has already been in the best of forms having reached two finals against Roger Federer and winning his 10th title in Monte Carlo.
The Spanish ace outlasted Novak Djokovic in the semis to qualify for the final, hoping to win the title in his homeland for a record fifth time after clinching the highest honours in the years 2005, 2010, 2013 and 2014.
He, thereby, ended a three-year, seven-match losing streak against the Serbian, whose abysmal run continues even after splitting from his long-time coaching team in previous weeks.
Winning the first set comfortably, Nadal was leading the second set 1-0, when he produced a sensational skill, rolling back the years, being his former self.
The clay court maestro served to Djokovic and the game proceeded with the duo hitting cross court shots in order to get better of the other.
The series, which included a rally of 13 shots in total, finished as the Serb chipped the ball over Nadal, hoping to win the point, to which the Spaniard replied with a spectacular backhanded 'no look' shot, ultimately gaining the upper hand in the contest.
Video: Nadal's incredible shot v Djokovic
Watch it here...
The 30-year-old then truimphed over his rival, virtually cruising to victory with the scoreline reading 6-2, 6-4. He will now face Austrian Dominic Thiem in the final on Sunday.
Nadal: It is a great result
Speaking after the match, BBC Sport quoted Nadal saying: "It is a great result. To win against Novak by that score you have to be playing very well, otherwise it's impossible.
"It was an important match for me. I lost a lot of times in a row. To break that means there are always nerves."
He admitted the circumstances two years ago and at present are of contrasting nature and commended the talent of Djokovic, who has been an unrivalled champion in the last few years.
"The circumstances nowadays are completely different compared to those seven matches that occurred before.
"I think that the last two years perhaps haven't been my best two years. For Novak, they were really good years."
Djokovic: Nadal deserved to win
Djokovic, too, declared Nadal to be the worthy winner of the tie, since he himself has been far from his best.
"He [Nadal] deserved to win," said Djokovic.
"It wasn't a very high quality of tennis from my side. I made a lot of unforced errors. His quality was very high. He managed to do whatever he wanted really, especially in the first set."
Nadal will be hoping for a remarkable end to the tournament by winning the Madrid Open, which would conclude a perfect preparation ahead of the French Open starting on May 22.