Toni Nadal feels double joy due to the 2022 Roland Garros final between Nadal and Ruud

Toni Nadal has told Eurosport about the "double joy" he is feeling at seeing his nephew, Rafael Nadal, reach the French Open final along with Casper Ruud, who was a graduate of his academy.

Ruud, the eighth seed at Roland-Garros, has reached his maiden Grand Slam final in Paris and also came through the ranks at the Rafa Nadal Academy with the pair good friends. The Norwegian, who moved to the academy in Mallorca in 2018, has spoken about how Nadal has "been my idol for all my life" after he secured his place in Sunday's showpiece after beating Marin Cilic in the semi-finals.

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Uncle Toni has shared with Eurosport his feelings of pride and "double joy" at seeing both Nadal and Ruud reach the pinnacle of the clay-court tennis world in Paris. He said:

"Casper's evolution over these years has been extraordinary. He reached his 150th and today he is one of the best players in the world. He has been in the top-10 for more than a year, he is one of the players who has progressed the most. He has done an impressive job with his father and I think we [the Academy] have collaborated. We are totally proud of this collaboration."

He continued:

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"We are lucky to have worked with one of the most educated tennis players on the professional circuit. We cannot be more than happy to see a player from the Academy reach the Roland-Garros final. It is a great source of satisfaction that Rafa is in a new final, and it is a double joy because he is another player who has been trained here. I know it will be a difficult match for both of us, but if we have to lose with one… better to lose with Casper."

Adding further:

"And if Casper has to lose to someone, let it be Rafael. He already said at the time that he was his idol when he was a child. Now you have the chance to play the biggest game of the year on clay against him. We expect a great match and we'll see who manages to lift the trophy."

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