Lacoste made in which country
René Lacoste
French and Jamaican tennis player (–)
Lacoste wearing his signature insignia, c. | |
Country(sports) | France |
---|---|
Born | ()2 July Paris, France |
Died | 12 October () (aged92) Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France |
Retired | |
Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
Int.Lacoste biography Lacoste S.A. is a French luxury sports fashion company, founded in by tennis player René Lacoste, and entrepreneur André sells clothing, footwear, sportswear, eyewear, leather goods, perfume, towels and watches. Tennis HoF | (member page) |
Careerrecord | –43 (%)[1] |
Careertitles | 24[1] |
Highestranking | No. 1 (, A. Wallis Myers) |
FrenchOpen | W (, , ) |
Wimbledon | W (, ) |
US Open | W (, ) |
OlympicGames | QF () |
FrenchOpen | W (, ) |
Wimbledon | W () |
Wimbledon | 2R () |
US Open | F (, ) |
Davis Cup | W (, ) |
Jean René Lacoste (2 July – 12 October ) was a Frenchtennis player and businessman.
He was nicknamed "the Crocodile" because of how he dealt with his opponents;[2] he is also known worldwide as the creator of the Lacostetennis shirt, which he introduced in , and eventually founded the brand and its logo in [3]
Lacoste was one of the Four Musketeers with Jean Borotra, Jacques Brugnon, and Henri Cochet, French players who dominated tennis in the late s and early s.
He won seven Grand Slam singles titles at the French, American, and British championships and was an eminent baseline player and tactician of the pre-war period. As a member of the French team, Lacoste won the Davis Cup in and Lacoste was ranked the World No. 1 player in some rankings for , and [4] He also won a bronze medal at the Summer Olympics.[5]
Tennis career
Lacoste started playing tennis at age 15 when he accompanied his father on a trip to England.[4][6] His first participation in a Grand Slam tournament was the Wimbledon Championships in which he lost in the first round to Pat O'Hara Wood.
The following year, , he reached the fourth round at Wimbledon to be narrowly defeated by Cecil Campbell, and he competed for the first time in the U.S. Championships.
His breakthrough came in when he won the singles title at the French Championships and at Wimbledon, in both cases after a victory in the final against compatriot Jean Borotra.
The following year, , Lacoste lost his French title after a straight-sets defeat in the final to Henri Cochet.
He did not compete at Wimbledon that year, but in September he won the U.S. National Championships title against Borotra. He was ranked No. 1 for by A. Wallis Myers, tennis correspondent of The Daily Telegraph,[7] Bill Tilden,[8]Suzanne Lenglen[9] and Stanley Doust (Daily Mail).[10]
In , dubbed 'The finest year in tennis history' by E.
Digby Baltzell, Lacoste was part of the French team that captured the Davis Cup from the United States, ending the latter's 6-year title run. The final was played at the Germantown Cricket Club in Philadelphia and Lacoste won both his singles matches against Bill Johnston and Bill Tilden.[11][12] He played Tilden in two Grand Slam tournament finals that year and won both of them.
At the French Championships he was victorious in five sets; at the U.S. National Championships he defended his title and denied Tilden his seventh U.S. title by winning in straight sets, although he survived setpoints in the first and third set and was down a break in the second.[13] At Wimbledon, Lacoste lost a five-set semifinal to Borotra.[14] He was ranked No.
1 by A. Wallis Myers,[15] Émile Deve,[16] U.S. ranking committee president,[17]Marcel Berger,[16] (L'Opinion[fr]), Jean Samazeuilh[18] (Le Miroir des sports[fr]) and Henri Cochet.[16]
In Lacoste lost his French title after a four-set loss in the final against Cochet.
He took revenge by beating Cochet in the final of the Wimbledon Championships after having defeated Tilden in a five-set semifinal. The Challenge Round of the Davis Cup against the United States was played at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris on 27–29 July. The stadium was specifically constructed to host France's first defense of the Davis Cup.[19] Lacoste lost the first rubber in a five-set match to Tilden but France won the remaining rubbers to defeat the challengers 4–1 and retain the cup.
Lacoste did not participate in the U.S. Championships.
Between and Lacoste played 51 Davis Cup matches for France in 26 ties and compiled a record of 32–8 in singles and 8–3 in doubles.
The only major championship Lacoste played in was the French and he won his seventh, and last, Grand Slam singles title after a tight five-set final against Jean Borotra.[20] Failing health, including respiratory disease, led to his withdrawal from competitive tennis in He would make a brief comeback at the French Championships, where he defeated reigning Wimbledon champion Sidney Wood in the third round, but lost in the fourth to Harry Lee.[21][22] He was the non-playing captain of the French Davis Cup team in and
The Four Musketeers were inducted simultaneously into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, in Newport, Rhode Island, in In his autobiography, Jack Kramer, the long-time tennis promoter and great player himself, included Lacoste in his list of the 21 greatest players of all time.[a]
In Lacoste wrote a book which he titled 'Lacoste on Tennis.' [6][23]
There are numerous explanations of why Lacoste was originally nicknamed "The Crocodile." A New York Times obituary about Lacoste's son, Bernard, provides an apparently authoritative one.
Shane lacoste biography
Lacoste S.A. is a French luxury sports fashion company, founded in by tennis player René Lacoste, and entrepreneur André Gillier. It sells clothing, footwear, sportswear, eyewear, leather goods, perfume, towels and watches. The company can be recognised by its green Crocodile logo. [ 5 ].In the s, supposedly, Lacoste made a bet with his team captain about whether he would win a certain match. The stakes were a suitcase he had seen in a Boston store; it was made of alligator skin. Following his victory, the American press dubbed him "The Alligator."[citation needed] Later, René Lacoste's friend Robert George embroidered a crocodile onto a blazer that Lacoste wore for his matches.[24][25]
Playing style
Lacoste was primarily a baseline player who relied on control, accuracy, and deeply-placed groundstrokes to put pressure on his opponents.
In addition he possessed an excellent passing shot and backhand slice. Nicknamed the 'Tennis Machine' for his methodical game and ability to avoid errors, he was known as a devoted and hard-working player, rather than a player with a great amount of natural talent.[20][26] His style was a complete contrast to that of his fellow Musketeer Henri Cochet.[13] Lacoste was a studious tactician who meticulously analysed his opponents and kept detailed notes on their strengths and weaknesses.[4][13]
Business career
In , Lacoste founded La Société Chemise Lacoste with André Gillier.
The company produced the tennis shirt, also known as a "polo shirt," which Lacoste often wore when he was playing; this had a crocodile (often thought to be an alligator) embroidered on the chest. In , Lacoste's son Bernard took over the management of the company.
In , Lacoste created an innovation in racket technology by unveiling and patenting the first tubular steel tennis racket.[21] At that time, wood rackets were the norm; the new version's strings were attached to the frame by a series of wires, which wrapped around the racket head.
Rene lacoste biography race René Lacoste (born July 2, , Paris, France—died Oct. 12, , Saint-Jean-de-Luz) was a French tennis player who was a leading competitor in the late s. As one of the powerful Four Musketeers (the others were Jean Borotra, Henri Cochet, and Jacques Brugnon), he helped France win its first Davis Cup in , starting its six-year domination of the cup.The steel-tube racket was stiffer, and imparted a greater force to the ball during a stroke. It was marketed in Europe under the Lacoste brand, but in the United States it was marketed by Wilson Sporting Goods. Pierre Darmon debuted the racket at Wimbledon in , but it achieved critical acclaim and huge popularity as the Wilson T, used by American tennis greats Billie Jean King and Jimmy Connors.[21]
Personal life
Rene Lacoste was born to Jeanne-Marie Magdeleine Larrieu-Let and Jean-Jules Lacoste.[27] His maternal family is from Monein, in southwest France, the genealogy dating back to the s.[28]
On 30 June he married golfing champion Simone de la Chaume.[29] Their daughter Catherine Lacoste was a champion golfer and president of the Golf Club Chantaco, founded by her mother, at a few kilometres from Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France.
Grand Slam finals
Singles: 10 (7 titles, 3 runners-up)
Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | Wimbledon | Grass | Jean Borotra | 1–6, 6–3, 1–6, 6–3, 4–6 | |
Win | French Championships | Clay | Jean Borotra | 7–5, 6–1, 6–4 | |
Win | Wimbledon | Grass | Jean Borotra | 6–3, 6–3, 4–6, 8–6 | |
Loss | French Championships | Clay | Henri Cochet | 2–6, 4–6, 3–6 | |
Win | US National Championships | Grass | Jean Borotra | 6–4, 6–0, 6–4 | |
Win | French Championships | Clay | Bill Tilden | 6–4, 4–6, 5–7, 6–3, 11–9 | |
Win | US National Championships | Grass | Bill Tilden | 11–9, 6–3, 11–9 | |
Loss | French Championships | Clay | Henri Cochet | 7–5, 3–6, 1–6, 3–6 | |
Win | Wimbledon | Grass | Henri Cochet | 6–1, 4–6, 6–4, 6–2 | |
Win | French Championships | Clay | Jean Borotra | 6–3, 2–6, 6–0, 2–6, 8–6 |
Doubles: 4 (3 titles, 1 runners-up)
Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Win | French Championships | Clay | Jean Borotra | Jacques Brugnon Henri Cochet | 7–5, 4–6, 6–3, 2–6, 6–3 | |
Win | Wimbledon | Grass | Jean Borotra | John Hennessey Raymond Casey | 6–4, 11–9, 4–6, 1–6, 6–3 | |
Loss | French Championships | Clay | Jean Borotra | Jacques Brugnon Henri Cochet | 6–2, 2–6, 0–6, 6–1, 4–6 | |
Win | French Championships | Clay | Jean Borotra | Jacques Brugnon Henri Cochet | 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 3–6, 8–6 |
Mixed doubles: 2 (2 runners-up)
Performance timeline
W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
(OF) only for French club members
All-time record
Tournament | Since | Record accomplished | Players matched |
---|---|---|---|
Grand Slam | Youngest player to win 2 titles at 3 Grand Slams | Stands alone |
See also
Notes
- ^Writing in , Kramer considered the best player ever to have been either Don Budge (for consistent play) or Ellsworth Vines (at the height of his game).
The next four best were, chronologically, Bill Tilden, Fred Perry, Bobby Riggs, and Pancho Gonzales. After these six came the "second echelon" of Rod Laver, Lew Hoad, Ken Rosewall, Gottfried von Cramm, Ted Schroeder, Jack Crawford, Pancho Segura, Frank Sedgman, Tony Trabert, John Newcombe, Arthur Ashe, Stan Smith, Björn Borg, and Jimmy Connors.
He felt unable to rank Henri Cochet and René Lacoste accurately, but he felt they were among the very best.
References
- ^ abGarcia, Gabriel. "Rene Lacoste: Career match record". . Madrid: Tennismem SL. Retrieved 7 November
- ^"René Lacoste".
International Tennis Hall of Fame.
- ^"Lacoste, the story of an iconic brand | LACOSTE". . Retrieved 14 May
- ^ abcBud Collins (). The Bud Collins History of Tennis (2nded.). [New York]: New Chapter Press. pp., ISBN.
- ^"René Lacoste".
Olympedia. Retrieved 21 November
- ^ abRobin Finn (14 October ). "Rene Lacoste Dies at 92; Gave Fashion the Alligator". The New York Times.
- ^"Best Tennis Players". The Telegraph. 4 October p.2 (City Edition) via National Library of Australia.
- ^"World's First Ten Players".
- Our History - Lacoste
- René Lacoste
New Zealand Herald. Vol.63, no. 1 December p.
- ^"MLLE. LENGLEN RANKS TILDEN IN 6TH PLACE; Names Miss Wills First Among Women Players -- Lacoste Tops the Men's List". The New York Times. 22 October
- ^"World's Ten Best Tennis Players: Where is Tilden to be Ranked?". The Star (Christchurch).
No. 5 January p.3.
- ^"Davis Cup – Results". ITF. Retrieved 30 June
- ^David J. Walsh (11 September ). "Two 'Bills' Fall Before French Tennis Stars". The Miami News. pp.1,
- ^ abcRobertson, Max ().
The Encyclopedia of Tennis. London: Allen & Unwin. pp.–, ISBN.
- ^"Borotra beats Lacoste". Kalgoorlie Miner (WA: - ). WA: National Library of Australia. 2 July p.5. Retrieved 1 April
- ^"Tennis Players". The Sydney Morning Herald. 5 October p.15 via National Library of Australia.
- ^ abc"Etude sur le classement des dix meilleurs joueurs du monde" [Study on the ranking of the ten best players in the world].
L'Auto (in French). 2 December pp.1, 5.
- ^"CUMM1NGS AND MOON". The Northern Star. Vol. New South Wales, Australia. 24 March p.9. Retrieved 28 November via National Library of Australia.
- ^"Johnston Unranked: French Writer Can Find No Place for Tennis Star". The Montreal Gazette.Rene lacoste biography In , Lacoste was acquired by Maus Frères SA, a family-run business founded in Geneva in Fascinated by the brand and the man behind it, Maus Frères SA - currently directed by Lacoste CEO Thierry Guibert - upholds the same heritage and values of optimism, passion, elegance, bravery and tenacity.
4 November via
- ^"History of the Stadium". . Fédération française de tennis (FFT).
- ^ abWilliam Shirer (4 June ). "Lacoste beats Borotra; Takes 3d French title". Chicago Tribune. p.
- ^ abcTom Sweetman (11 September ).
"Rene Lacoste: The lasting legacy of 'Le Crocodile'". CNN.
- ^Davidson, Owen (). Lawn Tennis – The Great Ones. London: Pelham Books. pp.34– ISBN. OCLC
- ^Lacoste on tennis. Worldcat. OCLC
- ^"Obituary: Bernard Lacoste, James Freedman". The New York Times.
23 March
- ^"Robert George Olympic Results". Sports Reference.
Our History - Lacoste: René Lacoste’s story was written by challenging tradition. In , he brought a revolution to the courts in the form of a flexible, lightweight polo shirt in “petit piqué” cotton, flying in the face of the regular shirts imposed on tennis players.
Archived from the original on 17 April Retrieved 10 May
- ^Quist, Adrian (). Tennis: The Greats –. Sydney: ABC Enterprises and William Collins. p. ISBN. OCLC
- ^"Happy Birthday René Lacoste! LE MAGAZINE LACOSTE". Le Magazine.
- ^"Family tree of Marie Paillé".
Geneanet.
- ^"Rene Lacoste, French Tennis Champion, to Take Golf Star As His Bride at Noon Monday". The Evening Independent. 13 June p.4–A.