Rafael Nadal praises Daniel Evans after beating Novak Djokovic: 'He played well'

In one of the season's biggest surprises so far, Daniel Evans took down world no. 1 Novak Djokovic 6-4, 7-5 in the Monte Carlo Masters third round.

The Briton came to Monte Carlo with only four ATP wins on clay, scoring the last one in 2017! Still, he has found his A-game on the slowest surface to score three wins in the Principality and reach the quarter-final, earning only four Masters 1000 triumphs before this week. Evans outplayed Djokovic in the crucial moments, converting five break chances that carried him over the top and towards the career-best win.

Speaking about this duel, Rafael Nadal said that he saw a couple of points while preparing for his clash against Grigor Dimitrov. The Spaniard praised Evans' performance, saying he played on a high level.

"Daniel Evans' victory over Novak Djokovic is probably his career-best triumph. I can only say bravo to him. I only saw a few points as I was preparing for my match, and Evans played well. He did a great job enduring challenging moments and playing solid tennis. The fact is, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and I have been losing only a couple of matches for years now. It makes these surprises very special.

That's also a part of tennis history; it is a normal thing when you lose, and that happened to Novak today. The rivals want to beat you, and you have to be ready for that. Every week, only one player would win, with all the others leaving the event defeated," Rafael Nadal said.