Nadal: Important to break Djokovic losing streak

After beating Novak Djokovic for the first time in their last eight matches, Rafael Nadal tells reporters that the victory was critical to him. "It was very important to break the bad (losing streak). So was important to win the tournament another time," Nadal said of his eighth consecutive Monte Carlo title. "Break that situation, winning a Masters 1000, one of my favorites, everything's perfect today."

Djokovic has high praise for his opponent: "My head's down. There's not many words you can normally say. Fantastic, impressive,” he said of Nadal. "The way he's been treating this sport is a real example of a champion... He's been achieving so much. Every year he comes back and he looks like he's the first time in this place."

However, Djokovic did say that mentally he was not in the right place as her grandfather, Vladimir had passed away early in the week. "I just didn't have any emotional energy left in me," Djokovic said. "I've never been caught up in this kind of emotional situation before... I just hope to have enough time now to regroup and to rest and to recharge the batteries and move on."

Nadal added that his injured knee, which forced him to pull out of his Miami semifinal against Andy Murray and did not allow him to begin practicing for Monte Carlo until a few days before the tournament, said he’s fine. "My knee is not limiting my movement. I can run 100 percent. When you feel you can run to every ball, the pain never is a problem. Today, that's the situation, and I'm very happy."