Top-ranked Novak Djokovic has made a solid return to red-clay courts, beating Australian teenager Bernard Tomic 6-3 6-3 to open the defence of his Italian Open title.

Coming off a quarter-final loss to fellow Serb Janko Tipsarevic on the blue clay at last week’s Madrid Open, Djokovic went ahead with two early breaks and faced minimal resistance from the 19-year-old Tomic, the youngest player in the top 50 at No 32.

With the French Open less than two weeks away, Djokovic is looking to rediscover the form from his 43-match winning streak last year. Winning at Roland Garros is a top priority for him after taking the three other majors last year.

Andy Murray beat David Nalbandian 6-1 4-6 7-5 in a strong return after taking last week off.