Novak Djokovic found more difficulty brushing away the attentions of a pesky sparrow than his first round rival Philipp Kohlschreiber at Wimbledon.
The top seed and defending champion opened proceedings on Centre Court and didn’t take long to secure his progress 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.
It was regulation stuff from the Serbian, straight sets and straightforward, and only a brave bird – who seemed determined to interrupt play – caused any difficulties.
“From where I come from, from the capital of Serbia, Belgrade, there’s a special sparrow bird and I believe this bird came all the way from Belgrade to help me,” joked Djokovic.
“I was feeling for its safety a few times. I couldn’t not notice it, I mean it just loves tennis, I guess.
“At one point Kohlschreiber was serving and the bird landed literally very close to the sideline. It was funny to see that.
“She stayed there until I won that point and I said, ‘Be my guest, stay around, if you want.’
“We’ve had birds come in and out from the court, but the sparrow bird from Belgrade really stayed for the entire match.”
Djokovic hasn’t played a competitive match since losing in the final of the French Open three weeks ago but there was no signs of rustiness in this dominant performance.
“I thought I started the match really well,” he added. “All three sets were decided in the tenth game.
“I thought my return was exceptionally good, it was just overall a great performance against a quality opponent.”
