Did you know the polo shirt is actually a tennis shirt? It was created by René Lacoste in 1929, who in addition to becoming a tennis legend became a founder of the world-renowned fashion brand. He first participated in a Grand Slam tennis tournament at Wimbledon in 1922 and within 3 years was a dominate force in the sport. He won seven Grand Slam singles titles at the French, American and British championships, and was the World No.1 player for both 1926 and 1927, before retiring from the sport for health reasons in 1929. With André Gillier, Lacoste founded what would become the world-renowned Lacoste fashion brand in 1933, which he directed until his son began leading the company in 1963. But René never strayed from tennis, creating an innovation in racket technology when he designed and patented the first tubular steel tennis racket. It, like his tennis shirt, became a huge success. And was used by numerous tennis legends including Billy Jean King and Jimmy Connors. And if you've ever wondered about the little crocodile on every Lacoste shirt, René's nickname was "the Crocodile."
