Earlier, Murray, who lost to Djokovic in the Madrid final last weekend, continued his fine form by keeping his concentration through two rain delays and taking just shy of an hour to dispose of qualifier Pouille.
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From then on, Djokovic’s game fell apart as Murray built on his noticeably superior serve, adding variety with drops shots and volleys at the net.
Only one week ago, the Serb had beaten Murray in the final of the Madrid Masters, but Sunday’s win will give the British No 1 a huge boost going into the second grand slam of the season in Paris.
epa05308270 Britain’s Andy Murray (L) poses with his trophy after defeating Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in their men’s final of the Italian Open tennis tournament at the Foro Italico in Rome, Italy, 15 May 2016.
Halep, who made the final in 2014 said: “I expected a tough match today”, Halep said”.
The 34-year-old great has looked more vulnerable of late, losing in the semi-finals at last year’s U.S. Open and final at the Australian Open and Indian Wells this season.
In the end, however, he was forced to admit the best player had won.
“I believe that I can compete with the best players on this surface now, because of the wins I’ve had in the last two years”. He got his first break in the match, and produced tight tennis that pinned Djokovic back to the baseline throughout the set to hold on and take it with the loss of three matches.
It was the third 3-set match he had played leading up to the final, and amid the challenging circumstances of intermittent rain, it did not take long for nerves to fray.
The unseeded American, ranked 24th in the world, had already produced the best European clay-court performance of her career to reach the last four.
“I don’t remember winning any matches on my birthday, which isn’t a great sign”, Murray said.
Meanwhile Serena Williams had to overcome a stubborn effort from Madison Keys to win the first all-American women’s tour final for four years in straight sets.
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Djokovic complained the court was too wet for play to continue, but Murray had no trouble keeping his feet as he stood firm on serve and claimed victory in spectacular fashion by racing wide and somehow coming up with a stunning backhand victor. “He was just too good today and he deserved it”.
