Wimbledon 2015: Novak Djokovic beats Philipp Kohlschreiber

Defending champion Novak Djokovic began his Wimbledon title defence with a straight-sets win over Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber.

The Serbian top seed won 6-4 6-4 6-4 in the opening match on Centre Court and goes on to face Lleyton Hewitt or Jarkko Nieminen in round two.

Djokovic, 28, was playing his first competitive match since losing to Stan Wawrinka in the French Open final.

He made 20 unforced errors but broke serve to win each of the three sets.

"He can be very tricky on all the surfaces, especially grass, and had nothing to lose but I managed to stay composed," the world number one said.

"I made the crucial breaks at 5-4 in all three sets, so hopefully it can stay that way for me."

As the world number 33, Kohlschreiber was the toughest possible opening opponent for Djokovic in terms of rankings.

The German, a Wimbledon quarter-finalist in 2012, recovered breaks of serve in the first and third sets but was unable to withstand the pressure when serving to stay in each set.

Djokovic moves into round two as he looks to win a third title, after victories in 2011 and 2014.

"It's great to be back, this is the cradle of our sport. It doesn't get any bigger than Wimbledon so it's an honour to open this year's play on Centre Court as defending champion," Djokovic added.

"This is a tradition and history that is nurtured here, so it really is a special feeling."