René Lacoste (1904

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Biography

Jean René Lacoste was a French tennis player and businessman. He was nicknamed "the Crocodile" because of how he dealt with his opponents; he is also known worldwide as the creator of the Lacoste tennis shirt, which he introduced in 1929, and eventually founded the brand and its logo in 1933.

Timeline

The story of René Lacoste, told in moments.

1925 Event

Won his first French Championships at 21. Kept detailed notebooks analyzing every opponent's weaknesses. He tracked return percentages, serve patterns, net approach angles. Other players relied on talent. Lacoste relied on data.

Did your opponents know you were keeping notebooks on their weaknesses? Was using data in tennis revolutionary or just common sense to you? Which opponent's pattern surprised you most?

1927 Event

Won the first of his two consecutive U.S. Championships and helped France win the Davis Cup from the United States. The press nicknamed the French team "The Four Musketeers." Lacoste was called "The Crocodile" for his tenacity on court.

Why 'The Crocodile' -- was it the tenacity or something else? Did winning the Davis Cup for France feel patriotic or personal? Were the Four Musketeers friends or just teammates?

1929 Event

Retired from competitive tennis at 25 due to respiratory illness. Won seven Grand Slam singles titles and five Davis Cups in just six years of top-level play. Then pivoted.

How do you walk away from tennis at twenty-five while still at the top? Did your respiratory illness feel like an ending or a redirect? Seven Grand Slams in six years -- was that pace sustainable?

1933 Event

Founded La Chemise Lacoste with Andre Gillier. Replaced the stiff long-sleeved tennis shirt with a breathable short-sleeved cotton pique polo. The small crocodile logo on the chest was one of the first visible clothing brand emblems.

What was wrong with the stiff long-sleeved tennis shirt that drove you to redesign it? Did you know the crocodile logo would become iconic? Was fashion always on your mind, even on court?

1963 Life

Patented a steel tennis racket design that became the basis for the T2000, later used by Jimmy Connors to win the U.S. Open three times. Lacoste was an inventor as much as an athlete.

Did you enjoy inventing more than competing? How did it feel seeing Jimmy Connors win with your racket design? Were you an athlete who invented or an inventor who played?

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