As Roger Federer took to Centre Court in his custom-designed cardigan, another Wimbledon legend donned an equally eccentric outfit under the scorching SW19 sun.

Before dispatching her first-round opponent in straight sets below the cloudless skies, Serena Williams entered the arena to warm up wearing what appeared to be a white mackintosh: de rigeur for a rainy New York perhaps, or even for a modish doctor, but a sun-licked sporting arena?

In fact, the only clue to its sporting genesis was the gold Nike swoosh perching above the oversized buttons, although the spare second-serve tennis balls could be tucked comfortably into the spacious pockets.

At Williams’s postmatch press conference after a straight-sets victory over Kaia Kanepi, of Estonia, there were precious few questions about her thundering serve. Williams, a devotee of style innovation, acknowledged her coat’s talkability factor. “It is definitely not athletic attire,” she told the tennis-cum-fashion reporters. “But it is ladylike and I am very ladylike. It goes perfectly with my personality and everything else,” she said.

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“I absolutely love trenchcoats. I mean, I love coats, and I don’t know why because I live in Florida, so it doesn’t really add up.”

Perhaps preparing for a post-tennis career as a mackintosh model or chic commentator, Williams informed the Wimbledon press pack of the mac’s merits. “It is a very lightweight fabric. It is woven so it has a little give in it as well. On the inside it is stitched with gold. It has a little give on both ways. It is very movable, it is very light, it is delectable,” she said.

“It is definitely kind of retro-inspired; buckles on the wrist, the waistband tie. You can tie it or button it. Now I have a wonderful white coat I can wear on the court and also, you know, in New York for those rainy days,” Another player who is certain to stir up controversy over her outfit is Ashley Harkleroad. The American tennis player, 23, is to grace the pages of the August edition of Playboy magazine, not the reading matter of choice for the genteel clientele at Wimbledon.

Harkleroad will appear this morning on Court 18 against Amelie Mauresmo, the 2006 winner of the women’s singles. A spokesman for the All England Club said: “As long as she is wearing clothes, and they are white, we will be happy.”

Maria Sharapova, who starts her campaign today against Stephanie Foretz, will reveal to the spectators on Court One her much-discussed “short suit”, complete with a tuxedo-style bib.

The Russian, renowned as one of the most elegant players on the circuit, has a history of wearing offbeat apparel at Wimbledon. Last year she appeared in a Swan Lake-inspired dress that flared behind her as she galloped across the grass.

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