Birdman Djokovic soars past Kohlschreiber

By Martyn Herman LONDON (Reuters) - Novak Djokovic displayed his usual killer instinct against Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber in the first round at Wimbledon on Monday but took pity on a tiny bird on Centre Court. The defending champion pounced at the key moments to see off a dangerous opponent 6-4 6-4 6-4 but was more compassionate when it came to the disorientated sparrow which seemed determined to hog the limelight. At one point in the second set Djokovic tried to coax the feathered invader on to his racket strings, to no avail. "From where I come from, Belgrade, there's a special sparrow bird. I believe this bird came all the way from Belgrade to help me," Djokovic told reporters. "I was fearing for its safety, honestly. At one point Kohlschreiber was serving at the advantage side, between the first and second serve, the bird landed close to the sideline. "She stayed there until I won that point. So I said, be my guest, stay around, if you want. "It was funny to see that. We had birds, mostly birds and different animals come in and out from the court. "But the sparrow bird from Belgrade really stayed for the entire match," he added smiling. It was a light-hearted moment for the 28-year-old world number one who was happier to talk ornithology than discuss accusations of on-court coaching from his box, specifically three-times Wimbledon champion Boris Becker. "I'm just trying to figure out what you want to achieve with this story," Djokovic said. "I don't understand what you really want. Do you want to say I'm cheating, my team? "I'm really trying to figure out what's behind this." "I'm going to repeat myself," he added. "I'm going to say that there are certain ways of communication which is encouragement, which is support, which is understanding the moment when to, you know, clap or say something that can lift my energy up. "But it's all within the rules." At least Djokovic was not having to discuss becoming the first defending champion to lose in the first round since Lleyton Hewitt in 2003, having negotiated a tricky opening match with relative ease despite no competitive action on grass in the build-up to his title defence. "Overall a great performance against a quality opponent," said Djokovic, who faces Finnish veteran Jarkko Nieminen in the second round. (Editing by Ed Osmond)