The start of play was delayed for about one hour and even after play commenced, the rain quickly returned to stop play for another hour. Djokovic was leading 4-1 at the time and, on the resumption, broke Sousa to love. He then recovered from 0-40 on his own serve to wrap up the first set with two crushing first serves.
Rain began to fall again with the Serb, who is strongly fancied to end Rafael Nadal's hold on the title, preparing to serve for the set at 5-2. Djokovic sat, looking slightly ridiculous, in a white hooded waterproof jacket as the umpire decided whether to take the players off court.
Djokovic made a series of faces at the camera before inviting a ball boy to share his seat, and a soft drink. They chatted about his racquet and life in general under a large umbrella to the amusement of the sheltering crowd.
When play resumed after five minutes, they shook hands politely before resuming their previous roles.
Djokovic beat Nadal, eight times the champion at Roland Garros, in the Rome final this month, and looked in ominously good form.
He broke Sousa in his opening service game as the players' first serves kicked up sprays of wet clay, but the Portuguese continued to go for his shots, particularly as the match slipped away from him.
Djokovic was too strong, although after leading 4-1 in the final set, he dropped his serve twice on the run-in, the first time after a double fault that was not even close. He won the match with an ace on his second match point.
Japanese ninth seed Kei Nishikori, coached by 1989 Roland Garros champion Michael Chang, crumbled to a 7-6(4) 6-1 6-2 defeat by Slovakia's Martin Klizan after serving for the first set at 5-3.
The injury-prone Japanese said he had not been able to practise enough after retiring injured from the Madrid Open final, and he feared this would be his future.
"It really sucks, I have to say, a lot of injuries. It's tough for me, but I guess this is my tennis life. I have to take care of my body and injury will come again, for sure," Nishikori, who was on the verge of beating Nadal in the Madrid final before his injury setback, said.
Miloslav Mecir, the son of the 1988 Olympic gold medallist of the same name, was knocked out by Tobias Kamke of Germany 7-5 7-6(2) 7-6(1) in his first match in a grand slam, after coming through the qualifiers.
Several matches were postponed because of the delay caused by the rain.
French Open men's round one results
17-Tommy Robredo (Spain) beat James Ward (Britain) 4-6 6-4 6-2 6-4
Teymuraz Gabashvili (Russia) beat 30-Vasek Pospisil (Canada) 6-4 6-2 6-3
Jurgen Melzer (Austria) beat David Goffin (Belgium) 6-4 5-7 7-5 6-4
2-Novak Djokovic (Serbia) beat Joao Sousa (Portugal) 6-1 6-2 6-4
29-Gilles Simon (France) beat Ante Pavic (Croatia) 6-1 6-1 6-3
Mikhail Kukushkin (Kazakhstan) beat Nicolas Mahut (France) 6-3 6-7(4) 6-3 6-4
Tobias Kamke (Germany) beat Miloslav Mecir Jr. (Slovakia) 7-5 7-6(2) 7-6(1)
25-Marin Cilic (Croatia) beat Pablo Andujar (Spain) 6-0 6-3 7-6(6)
Jiri Vesely (Czech Republic) beat Lukas Rosol (Czech Republic) 6-2 7-6(6) 7-5
Martin Klizan (Slovakia) beat 9-Kei Nishikori (Japan) 7-6(4) 6-1 6-2
Marcel Granollers (Spain) beat Ivan Dodig (Croatia) 2-2 (Dodig retired)
Robin Haase (Netherlands) beat Nikolay Davydenko (Russia) 7-5 6-4 6-2
Benoit Paire (France) beat Alejandro Falla (Colombia) 6-3 6-4 7-6(4)
Kenny De Schepper (France) beat Albert Montanes (Spain) 3-1 (Montanes retired)
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