Famous French People René Lacoste © by Robert Shepherd Hello, you’re listening to Robert Shepherd on EnglishWaves and welcome to another episode of Famous French. It’s the turn of one of the members of the legendary Four Musketeers of French tennis, the inventor of the metal tennis racket and founder of the Lacoste line of sportswear. You’ve guessed right: it’s René Lacoste. Jean René Lacoste was born in Paris during the summer of 1904 and despite having an impressive tennis career, Lacoste came to the sport quite late. It wasn’t until he was 15 -years-old, when he started visiting England with his wealthy businessman father, that Lacoste picked up a racket in earnest. That’s because up until that point, the young Lacoste had his min d set on a particular career path . A bright student with a mind for mechanical things, Lacoste had been set to enroll at a prestigious French engineering school. When Lacoste changed his mind and decided on trying to make it as a tennis player, his underst anding father gave him five years to make it happen. Within three years, Lacoste was one of the finest players in the world. Lacoste was never considered a great athlete, so he built his game from the court's baseline, keeping his opponents on the move wi th precise groundstrokes. His technique earned him the nickname "The Crocodile". The big breakthrough year came in 1925, when Lacoste won the French Open and the Wimbledon singles championships. The following year he won the first of two back -to- back U.S. Open titles, defeating the better -known Bill Tilden in a straight -set match. Lacoste, who for a time would be ranked as the game's top player, went on to win seven major titles, including two additional French Opens in 1927 and 1929 and another Wi mbledon title in 1928. He was also a member of France's Davis Cup Team from 1923 - 1928. For tennis fans in France, Lacoste's success was especially exciting as he was part of a larger wave of French domination of the sport in the ‘20s and '30s. Lacoste and fellow countrymen Jacques Brugnon, Jean Borotra and Henri Cochet were branded the Four Musketeers of French tennis. However, poor health started to hamper Lacoste and his career was derailed. He retired prematurely in 1929, but did make a brief comeback in 1932. Yet while fans wanted him back on the courts, Lacoste was about to go through a renaissance off them. His inventive mind worked in areas outside of tennis. For the game of golf he developed a new polyurethane driver, which helped the sport’s transition to composite material-based clubs. Then, in the mid-1960s and late '80s, Lacoste filed 20 new patents. However, the clothing line that bore his name and famous crocodile logo proved to be Lacoste's greatest post-game success. As a player, he went against traditional on-court fashion, opting to compete in short-sleeved knit shirts rather than dress shirts. Lacoste later formed a small company to manufacture the apparel. By 1950, his shirts had entered the American market. Sales steadily climbed for Lacoste, but it wasn't until the 1980s that demand exploded - the Lacoste brand became synonymous with high status. In 1982, sales peaked at $450 million. In the last few years of his life, Lacoste battled health issues. He suffered from prostate cancer, but he died in his sleep from heart failure in October 1996, just four days after having an operation on a broken leg. He was 92. Even in death, the Lacoste name continues to thrive. Stay tuned to EnglishWaves. .