The formidable Serbian, winner of 11 Grand Slam titles, had progressed to the semi-finals with an epic victory over Spain’s Rafael Nadal and was involved in another classic, this time with Japan’s Kei Nishikori at the Foro Italico.

The two players traded devastating blows from the back of the court for three hours and two minutes before Djokovic finally wrapped up a thrilling 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 success.

His opponent in tomorrow’s showpiece finale will again be Murray, the current world number three who will return to number two next week, as the Briton proved far too strong for unseeded Frenchman Lucas Pouille.

The two-time Grand Slam champion dominated proceedings from start to finish and ensured he will compete in his first-ever Rome Masters final with a 6-2, 6-1 win in a rain-affected match that only lasted a minute shy of an hour.

He will bid to avenge the defeat he suffered to Djokovic at last weekend’s Mutua Madrid Open tomorrow but he faces a tough task having lost 12 of his previous 13 matches to the Serbian star.

“I think it is the first time since I've been on Tour that I've not had a chance to hit balls before going on to the court," Murray told the BBC.

“It pretty much rained non-stop and then they flipped the schedule around so I didn't feel that comfortable coming on to court.

“But he made a few mistakes and I served well to make it easy for myself.”

In the women’s event, American top seed and world number one Serena Williams booked her place in her fourth Rome Masters final with a 6-4, 6-1 demolition of Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu.

The 34-year-old veteran will clash with compatriot Madison Keys for the Italian Open crown after she clinched a shock 7-6, 6-4 win over third seed Garbine Muguruza of Spain.

Should she go on to beat Keys tomorrow, Williams will lay down a marker ahead of the French Open, the second Grand Slam of the year, where she will attempt to equal Steffi Graf of Germany’s record of 22 singles titles in the Open era.