Murray is ready for Rafa after win over Evans in Abu Dhabi

Andy Murray is eagerly anticipating a match against Rafael Nadal after beating Dan Evans in an exhibition in Abu Dhabi.

The Scot was in good form as he beat Evans 6-3 6-2 at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship and will now go on to play Nadal on Friday for the first time in five years. The Spaniard is making his comeback after a foot injury that has sidelined him for the past five months.

“I didn’t know whether I was going to get the opportunity to play matches like that again,” said Murray. “Rafa’s someone that I’ve had some great battles with at some of the biggest tournaments in the world.

“It’ll be great. Hopefully we can put on a great performance for a couple of old guys.”

Murray was encouraged by his win over Evans, who was a late replacement at the tournament. He beat the Englishman in the Battle of the Brits last year and has never played him in a competitive match but felt that the workout in Abu Dhabi has been an interesting test.

The 31-year-old said in his on-court interview: “We practise a lot together so we know each other’s games well. We always play a lot of long points, long rallies.

“Dan’s got skills that very few players on the tour have. It’s a good start.”

Evans said: “He played well. It wasn’t much fun for me.

“I did some things well. Not enough. But it was really good to get the chance to be out here in front of a great crowd.”