Novak Djokovic vs. Rafael Nadal: Score, Recap from Monte Carlo Masters 2015

For the first time in 2015, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal squared off. The two met in the semifinals of the Monte Carlo Masters on Saturday, with Djokovic taking out Nadal in straight sets 6-3, 6-3 to set up a showdown with Tomas Berdych in the final.

Djokovic has been on fire all year, losing only two matches and winning his last 16 singles matches. His last loss came in the final at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships against Roger Federer on March 1. 

The turning point for this match came midway through the first set. Nadal had taken a 2-1 lead after Djokovic missed opportunities in the third game. With a chance to go up 3-1 and serving, Nadal was unable to hold thanks to Djokovic's aggressive net tactics.

Sky Sports Tennis tweeted out stats from the match in addition to a mini-collage of photographs after the Djoker won:

One key point from those stats is that Nadal hurt himself with three double-faults, giving Djokovic free chances without having to make a play. The world's top-ranked player also took advantage on break points, converting 40 percent of the time compared to one in three chances for Nadal. 

Victories tend to come easy for Djokovic, though he has had problems with Nadal throughout his career. Per the ATP World Tour website, Djokovic improved his career record against the Spanish star to 19-23 in 42 matches. The last time they met was in the final of last year's French Open, which Nadal won in four sets.

While another match at Roland Garros would certainly be fun to see, right now everyone else is playing in Djokovic's world. He's walking all over everyone, regardless of their rank. Greg Sharko of ATPWorldTour.com noted that the Djoker has dominated top-10 opponents in 2015:

Djokovic was able to avenge that one loss, against Federer, with a victory three weeks later in the final at the BNP Paribas Open.

Going deeper than just individual matches, Courtney Nguyen of Sports Illustrated broke down how impressive Djokovic has been in sets this season:

The other key moment in the match that Nadal was unable to take advantage of came midway through the second set. With things tied 3-3 and Nadal up 40-0, Djokovic turned on the jets to win the set. He would keep the momentum going by winning the final two games, though the seventh game was exhausting at nearly 12 full minutes.

As ATP World Tour commentator Rob Koenig put on Twitter after the match, the only thing that can be said about Djokovic right now is that he's really good:

Djokovic has been red hot with 16 straight match wins and not dropping a set in four matches at the Monte Carlo Masters Series so far. He was brimming with confidence after his quarterfinal win over Marin Cilic, winning the first eight games in that battle.

The 27-year-old told reporters, as noted by BBC.com, that his win over Cilic was the most complete match he'd played so far:

"All in all, it was probably the best match I've played so far in the tournament," said Djokovic. "I like the way I'm playing right now. I'm trying to impose all the variety in the game that I have."

Even though Djokovic's win over Nadal wasn't as crisp and overtly dominant as the quarterfinal match, it may have been more impressive because of the way he had to battle back against some adversity against one of the world's three best players.

Now, with all the momentum in the world on his side, the only thing standing between Djokovic and a third consecutive tournament title is Berdych. Their previous encounter this year was in the semifinals at the Dubai Duty Free Championships, which Djokovic won in three sets.

Even though Berdych has been excellent in his own right this year and in this tournament, Djokovic is operating at a different level than anyone else. It would be a shock if he didn't walk away with the title.