It’s often been thought that SW19 plays host to the most prestigious tournament on the tennis calendar, but now it seems that Wimbledon is about more than just who will lift the trophy and take home the prize money.

Previously most famous for the eco-conscious and rather unfashionable Wombles, Wimbledon now finds itself thrust to the centre of the fashion world each June.

When top-seed Roger Federer stepped on to centre court on Monday to carry out his routine demolition of Yen-hsun Lu of Taiwan in his first-round match, it wasn’t just his exquisite ground strokes and technical excellence that wowed the crowd.

Federer, 27, who won the tournament five years in a row from 2003-2007, is going for a record- breaking sixth Wimbledon title and 15th major championship win – and he clearly aims to do it in style.

The Swiss star strode out on to the hallowed court dressed to impress in a very dapper white military-style jacket and trouser combo with gold trim, zip and buttons.

After the coin toss he removed his jacket to reveal a crisp white waistcoat which he warmed up in before changing to his normal game-playing attire which included a gold-collared shirt and golden trainers with his RF logo emblazoned on them.

While Federer’s clothing was designed to emit understated elegance – much like his tennis style – his bag was anything but.

Continuing the gold theme, it had 24-carat colouring all over, and again, his RF logo was positioned prominently in the centre.

On the women’s side, Maria Sharapova was keeping up appearances with a white Sgt Pepper style jacket and short white dress, while Serena Williams took to the court in a classic English mac.

Fashion-conscious players like Federer and Sharapova have been helping to make tennis front-page news during Wimbledon fortnight for the last few years as well as occupying the back pages with the usual stories of whether Andy Murray can emulate Fred Perry and win the title.

The tennis world is also blessed with a plethora of female players who are just as skilful at posing for the camera in not many clothes as they are at hitting forehand winners.

All these factors combined with the frequent celebrity presence at Centre Court and the Pimm’s and lemonade brigade has helped to make Wimbledon the Royal Ascot of the tennis world.

The winner of both the men’s and women’s tournaments will pocket a very stylish £850,000 (£100,000 more than last year’s winners).

But then again, all this style, class and elegant fashion would seem rather out of place if they were competing for a tenner and a Wombles Greatest Hits album.