Using his forehand cross-court on the angle, he began to pull Nadal out of court, testing his agility and speed to the very limit.
With Nadal starting to miss, Djokovic held the advantage to level the match.
Nadal had set point at 6-5, only for Djokovic to save it with a drop shot.
By then, the standard of tennis was on another planet, but once Djokovic won the tiebreak 7-4, it was an uphill battle for Nadal.
Beating Nadal on clay in Paris for the second time gives Djokovic a shot at his 19th Grand Slam title, but the Serb paid tribute to everything Nadal has achieved in Paris."It's hard to find words bigger than all the superlatives you can think of for Rafa's achievements in Roland Garros," he said.Nadal said Djokovic had been the better player and tried to put things into perspective when he spoke to the Spanish media.But it's just a defeat on a tennis court, you know, and tomorrow I'll be at home with my family.