Novak Djokovic was relieved to end his Olympic semi-final hoodoo and finally reach the singles final at the Games for the first time. (Medal Table | Schedule & Results | Full Coverage)
The 24-time major champion defeated Lorenzo Musetti 6-4 6-2 to ensure he would walk away from Roland-Garros with a medal.
Djokovic will now face number two seed Carlos Alcaraz in a rematch of last month's Wimbledon final.
The 37-year-old was aware of the enormity of the achievement in going one step further, having suffered semi-final losses to Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Alexander Zverev in three previous Olympic semi-finals, though he did claim bronze at the Beijing Games in 2008.
"I have been waiting for this for almost 20 years," Djokovic said in his on-court interview.
"I've played four Olympic Games, this is my fifth and '’ve never passed the semi-finals. I lost three semi-finals in my first four Olympic Games.
"I managed to overcome this big hurdle. I must be honest and say that I was thinking about all the semi-finals that I lost."
The Serbian had to overcome injury concerns after his quarter-final match against Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Djokovic was more encouraged by his mental strength against an opponent that has made great strides on the ATP Tour this season in Musetti.
"I just tried to be in the present moment. I played against a player who is in great form and really came out firing from both ends," Djokovic added.
"I just tried to maintain the focus and do what I have to do."
Sunday's final between Djokovic and Alcaraz will be the seventh meeting between the pair, with the head-to-head currently at three apiece.
