adminNovak Djokovic overcame his unhappiness about the court conditions to beat Spain’s David Ferrer 6-4 6-4 and reach the Italian Open final.
The top seed raised his game at key points in both sets to earn the breaks.
But the Serb complained to the umpire in the second set about the conditions on the clay at the Foro Italico.
Djokovic will face either Stan Wawrinka or Roger Federer in Sunday’s final with the Swiss pair due to play their semi-final at 19:00 BST.
The world number one broke the clay court specialist early in the opening set.
Ferrer battled hard to break Djokovic’s service in a thrilling sixth game of the second set where advantage switched hands several times before the Spaniard sent a backhand return out.
Ferrer’s chances of making the Italian Open final appeared to dip as Djokovic broke in the ninth game to take a 5-4 lead and then serve out for the win.
Djokovic is now on track for his fourth Rome title, having won his third in the space of six years in 2014 when he stopped Rafael Nadal from claiming an eighth crown in the Italian capital. — Reuters
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter