Top ten: Fashion statements of world tennis

Anna Kournikova. Photo / Getty Images

1 Maud Watson

The daughter of a local vicar, Watson won the first ladies' singles title at Wimbledon in 1884.

Running about in an ankle-length white dress with white corsets and petticoats, Watson triumphed from a field of 13, defeating older sister Lillian 6-8, 6-3, 6-3 in the final. Watson's somewhat unladylike approach - she jogged about a bit and may have even broken into a sweat - is said to have provoked much chatter among the chattering classes.

You wonder what they'd make of Alize Cornet (see 9).

2 Suzanne Lenglen

The forebear of the modern tennis brat, the six-time Wimbledon champion was prone to fits of tears during matches, although it's possible that had something to do with the slugs of brandy she liked to imbibe between sets and the fur coat she insisted on wearing in the middle of summer.

As well as being head and shoulders above other women players, Lenglen was famous for showing off a bit of forearm and calf - apparently something not much done in 1919.

Sounds like a fun kind of girl, although maybe not one to take home to introduce to mater.

More like mistress material, so no wonder the French named the second court at Roland Garros after her.

3 Gorgeous Gussy Moran

Leave it to the Yanks to provide the truly scandalous displays of impropriety. In 1949 Gorgeous Gussy Moran, scandalised the established tennis world by wearing lace-trimmed panties at Wimbledon.

Photographers fought for positions where they could get panty shots, while Moran was accused of bringing "vulgarity and sin into tennis" by the committee of the All England Club.

The outfit's designer, Ted Tinling, was banned from Wimbles for 33 years. Moran, who wasn't much of a player and admitted to being "quite plain", never really recovered.

"People would see me and I'd hear them say, 'I've seen better-looking waitresses at the hot-dog stand.' I just went to pieces.

"Emotionally, I couldn't handle it," she said in a 1988 interview.

4 Anne White

Another decidedly average player to make a bigger splash with her attire than her forehand.

White only once made the fourth round of a Slam but in 1985 she turned more heads at Wimbledon than an impromptu Cliff Richard sing-a-long, donning an all white skin-tight body suit for her first round match against Pam Shriver.

Looking like an extra straight out of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, White battled her way to a set-all until rain forced the match to be postponed until the following day.

Umpire Alan Mills told her to wear something "more appropriate" the next day. She did - and lost. "I had no idea it would be so controversial". Umm ...

5 Andre Agassi

Forget about the crystal meth and the lying, the most staggering revelation in the former maestro's recent autobiography was that his trademark mullet was in fact a hair hat.

The man who peddled the phrase "Image is Everything" for a sponsor certainly lived by the creed, even throwing the 1990 French Open final in a fit of worry about his disintegrating rug.

"During the warming-up training before play I prayed. Not for victory, but that my hairpiece would not fall off," he wrote.

"With each leap, I imagine it falling into the sand. I imagine millions of spectators move closer to their TV sets, their eyes widening and, in dozens of dialects and languages, ask how Andre Agassi's hair has fallen from his head."

6 Anna Kournikova

A child of her times, Kournikova successfully straddled the tennis, fashion and cyberspace worlds, combining a moderately successful sporting career with an extremely successful modelling sideline.

Many tennis fans clearly found the idea of the sizzling Russian teen straddling just about anything worthy of further research, with the name Kournikova topping Google's most searched-for lists.

Though she never won a singles title she did grace the Sports Illustrated Swimwear Edition in 2004.

Even then, she was only an inset on the cover, losing out on the main gig to Veronica Varekova.

Her popularity even extended into poker lingo, where the hole cards Ace-King are sometimes referred to as an "Anna Kournikova" - because the hand "looks really good, but rarely wins".

7 Serena Williams

The younger Williams sister's penchant for stuffing round things into tight places was evident well before she threatened to ram a ball down a line umpire's throat in this year's US Open final.

In 2002 Williams took tennis fashion to new heights - quite literally - with a skin tight leather bodysuit that finished just below the buttock.

Two years later she was at it again, wearing cowboy boots and a denim skirt. It might not have gone over so well with the cucumber sandwich brigade, however Serena was convinced there was a market for her fashion sense, launching a line called Aneres.

A company blurb states: Aneres is for the independent woman who works, enjoys life, and is at the prime of her life. She wants to feel sexy and pretty. And stuff round objects into tight places. Okay, I added that last line.

8 Dominik Hrbaty

The fun-loving Slovakian proved fashion splashes aren't just for the girls, donning a sheer, almost see-through pink and black piece of lingerie featuring two giant holes on the back around the shoulder blades.

Hrbaty brought titters from the audience when he had a ballperson apply lotion to his holes.

The infamous outfit helped him to a first round victory over David Ferrer, but it may have proved his undoing in the next round against Lleyton Hewitt.

"I just couldn't lose to a bloke wearing a shirt like that," Hewitt said.

Hrbaty, though, was unfazed.

"Actually I like it pretty much, it's different. They [in the locker room] are telling me I will have more gay fans."

9 Alize Cornet

Expect a decent crowd when the French world No 50 takes the court at this year's ASB Classic.

Cornet took risque tennis attire to new heights at last January's Hopman Cup, stepping out in what was described as a see-through top.

Extensive research failed to discover any pictures that would actually qualify as see-through, but nonetheless Cornet's attire drew the ire of tennis prudes.

Aussie Open officials threatened $2000 fines for anyone attempting to show off too much of their bits, while even the great Margaret Court was provoked to issue some stern words.

"I just don't think the tennis court is the place to be everything clingy and showing everything," she said. "Women don't need to expose themselves so much."

Says you, Maggie.

10 Roger Federer at Wimbeldon, 2009

As one men's fashion website described it: "Stepping out in a pristine utility jacket complete with his signature white & gold detailing, Federer greeted the crowd, carrying his white and gold kit bag and keeping his floppy hair out of his face with a - white and gold of course - headband." Or, as the less sycophantic, more heterosexual might put it: What the **** is that? Who does that berk get his fashion advice from - Dominik Hrbaty? What a prize tool.