Medvedev was previously known almost exclusively for his prowess on hard courts, with 18 of his previous 19 titles coming on that surface and the other on grass.
Swiatek had to stop playing during the third set against Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in a match that started late Wednesday evening.
The 35-year-old Djokovic didn't appear at his best physically early on and called for a trainer after holding for a 2-1 lead in the second set.
The Wimbledon champion was dominating 21-9 with winners when Ukrainian opponent Anhelina Kalinina retired due to a left thigh injury early in the second set of the rain-delayed Italian Open final on Saturday.
It was 2-2 in the third when the top-ranked Swiatek stopped after more than two hours of play. She won the first set 6-2 before Rybakina took the second set 7-6 (3).
Clearly motivated by Norrie's behavior, Djokovic produced his best clay-court performance of the year against the 13th-seeded Norrie, who was not made available for comment.
Medvedev beat German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann 6-2, 6-2 on Thursday to reach the semifinals in Rome after losing his opener in his three previous appearances at the Foro Italico.
Aiming for his seventh title on the red clay of the Foro Italico, Djokovic had his entire game clicking after struggling at times in the previous rounds.
Alcaraz had won consecutive clay-court titles in Barcelona and Madrid and secured a return to the No. 1 ranking by winning the opening match of his Rome debut.
Struggling with his footwork, complaining about the conditions of the clay on Campo Centrale and protesting line calls, Djokovic lost four consecutive games to...
Alcaraz will pass Novak Djokovic for the top spot when the rankings are next published on May 22, ensuring he will get the No. 1 seeding at the French Open,...
The French Open, the clay-court Grand Slam, starts at the end of the month, and Djokovic is hoping to add a third title at Roland Garros after his victories in...
The 22-time Grand Slam winner has been sidelined since January by a left hip flexor injury he picked up at the Australian Open, and has already missed playing...
The Italian Open plans to award women the same amount of prize money as men starting in 2025.
Iga Swiatek routed Aryna Sabalenka 6-2, 6-1 to extend her winning streak to 27 matches and reach the Italian Open final.
Novak Djokovic is a five-time champion at the Italian Open 2022 tennis tournament. Djokovic was ousted in the second round of Monte Carlo Masters 2022.
A straight-sets win in the final gave Novak Djokovic his fifth Rome title, though it was his first since 2015
Djokovic also bettered Pete Sampras for the second-most weeks at No. 1 with 287. The Serbian trails Roger Federer's 310 weeks in the top spot
