Roger Federer has responded to criticism of his relationship with the bank Credit Suisse levelled at him by environmentalists and climate activists including Greta Thunberg.

Twelve protesters faced court in Switzerland this week after refusing to pay their fine for playing tennis in a branch of Credit Suisse in 2018, in a stunt which sought to draw attention to Federer’s sponsorship by a bank which has close ties to the fossil fuels industry.

The Swedish teenager Thunberg retweeted 350.org Europe, who wrote: “Since 2016 @CreditSuisse has provided $57 BILLION to companies looking for new fossil fuel deposits – something that is utterly incompatible with #ClimateAction. @RogerFederer do you endorse this? #RogerWakeUpNow.”

Federer, who is taking part in a fundraising event in Melbourne this weekend in aid of Australia’s bushfire crisis, released a carefully worded statement which did not address Credit Suisse directly. “I take the impacts and threat of climate change very seriously, particularly as my family and I arrive in Australia amidst devastation from the bushfires,” Federer said.

“As the father of four young children and a fervent supporter of universal education, I have a great deal of respect and admiration for the youth climate movement, and I am grateful to young climate activists for pushing us all to examine our behaviours and act on innovative solutions. We owe it to them and ourselves to listen. I appreciate reminders of my responsibility as a private individual, as an athlete and as an entrepreneur, and I’m committed to using this privileged position to dialogue on important issues with my sponsors.”

Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED Show all 20 1 /20 Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED Searching Roger Federer's name on Google reveals "about 36,500,000 results", and yet not a single one of those is dedicated to reviewing each one of his all white Nike Wimbledon kits in exacting detail. This is, quite frankly, scandalous and needs to remedied immediately. Possibly. We think. Getty Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED 2001 Colour: White



Verdict: Are those ... beads?! Come on Roger, you're playing on the pristine lawns of the The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, not backpacking around Goa like a poundshop version of Eyal from Love Island. A poor start.



Rating: 2/10 Popperfoto/Getty Images Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED 2013 Colour: White



Verdict: Oh dear. Clearly aiming for classy, but with the hideous end result of looking like a cross between a chemist and somebody halfheartedly role-playing as a sexy nurse.



Rating: 3/10 Getty Images Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED 2000 Colour: White



Verdict: The hat is floppy, the sleeves are baggy and the hair needs a trim. And that's a Harry Hill collar if ever we saw one. Nope, we're not fans.



Rating: 3.25/10 AFP/Getty Images Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED 2010 Colour: White



Verdict: It's a classy colour combo, but it all looks a bit - frilly - doesn't it? Would have gone down well in the 1920s but it's not doing much for us, Clive.



Rating: 4.1/10 Getty Images Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED 2002 Colour: White



Verdict: Not too much to argue with here, that flash of blue is inoffensive if a little bland, while everything is decidedly more slim-cut than that baggy 2000 effort. Docked points for the man bun, however.



Rating: 5.5/10 Getty Images Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED 2012 Colour: White



Verdict: The ten-year turquoise anniversary effort. Wasn't worth bringing back, to be honest with you. Next.



Rating: 5.5111111/10 Getty Images Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED 2017 Colour: White



Verdict: Those naughty flashes of hot pink just about stop this effort from sliding towards the bottom of this list. Picks up some extra points for the manly new hairstyle. Federer is even receding in style.



Rating: 5.999999999999/10 Action Plus via Getty Images Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED BONUS ENTRY: 2018 Colour: White



Verdict: Okay TECHNICALLY this shouldn't be included as it's not a Nike effort, but we couldn't find any pictures of a baby-faced Federer strolling the lawns in 1999, so it makes the cut. First impressions: meh.



Rating: 6/10 AFP/Getty Images Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED 2016 Colour: White



Verdict: Exactly the same as the previous picture but with a Nike tick instead of the Uniqlo square. Picks up that all important extra 0.25 of a mark on account of the nicely cut shorts.



Rating: 6.25/10 Getty Images Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED 2007 Colour: White



Verdict: A white and gold number that aims for classy but falls just slightly the wrong side of gaudy. That gold piping is just that bit too ostentatious, isn't it? We all know you're good, mate: don't rub it in.



Rating: 6.9/10 Getty Images Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED 2015 Colour: White



Verdict: A bold year for Fed, who decided to go all Peaky Blinders on us with an inspired Grandad collar. And with an absolute Persian rug of a chest like that, why not?



Rating: 6.5/10 (+0.5 for chest hair) Getty Images Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED 2014 Colour: White



Verdict: Very similar to his 2016 strip, but the subtle stripes on that polo elevate this effort to new heights. And look how high up that Nike swoosh is! Revolutionary.



Rating: 7/10 AFP/Getty Images Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED 2005 Colour: White



Verdict: This is bold. Sleek. Futuristic. Federer is a man who likes his collars and cable knits, but he proved he could also rock a round-neck with this natty little number. More of this, please.



Rating: 7.2/10 Bongarts/Getty Images Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED 2003 Colour: White



Verdict: We're big fans of that cycle-shirt style collar, which looks like something manufactured by Rapha. And look at those Hundertwasser-esque blobs under his arm pit! All in all a svelte, artistic design. Love it.



Rating: 7.5/10 Bongarts/Getty Images Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED 2009 Colour: White



Verdict: Oh yes. This is what the 2007 effort should have looked like. Subtle stripe effect. Tasteful flashes of gold. Big old sweatband for wiping the ambrosia from his brow. Decent.



Rating: 8/10 Getty Images Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED 2004 Colour: White



Verdict: Vintage cool. Nicely cut, big ol' bandanna and lots and a lot of unnecessary but very cool panels.



Rating: 8.5/10 Bongarts/Getty Images Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED 2008 Colour: White



Verdict: Oh yes. Yessssss. A refinement of everything that came before: the perfect size collar. The perfect amount of colour. The perfect tailored fit. Woof.



Rating: 9/10 Getty Images Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED 2006 Colour: White



Verdict: Just look at that face. More importantly: look at that jacket. This was the moment that Federer turned from well-dressed tennis star to bona fide fasion icon. This was the Federer that David Foster Wallace fell in love with. Top marks - although only good enough for the runners-up spot on our sartorial hit list.



Rating: 10/10 Getty Images Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED 2011 Colour: White



Verdict: And here it is: fashion perfection. He looks like the head boy of an impossibly expensive private school. A member of the British Diplomatic Service in the twenties. The guy that your girlfriend told you not to worry about. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the coolest any man has ever looked at Wimbledon. Bravo.



Rating: 176/10 Getty Images