World number one Djokovic will play Argentine Diego Schwartzman for his fifth Rome title.
Top seeds Novak Djokovic and Simona Halep both advanced to the finals of the Italian Open on Sunday as fans returned to the stands at the Foro Italico for the first time.
World number one Djokovic beat Norway’s Casper Ruud 7-5, 6-3 and will play Argentine Diego Schwartzman for his fifth Rome title.
Top women’s seed Simona Halep reached a third final where she faces defending champion Karolina Pliskova for a trophy the Romanian narrowly missed out on in 2017 and 2018.
Djokovic had been on a collision course for another final showdown with Nadal a week before the French Open at Roland Garros.
But Schwartzman eliminated the nine-time Rome winner in the quarter-finals, and booked his ticket to the final with a 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (7/4) win over Canadian Denis Shapovalov.
“Of course, you know, with…