Jean René LACOSTE

René Lacoste was named the world's #1 tennis player in 1926 and 1927, but nowadays he is probably better known for the Lacoste clothing brand, which started in 1929 with a tennis shirt bearing the logo of a crocodile (or alligator). This was taken from Lacoste's nickname, with various stories surrounding the origin of the name. Besides the shirt, Lacoste also revolutionized the tennis world by inventing the first steel racket in 1936. One the court, Lacoste was highly successful. Together with three other French players (Borotra, Cochet and Brugnon), dubbed the "Four Musketeers", he won the Davis Cup in 1927 and 1928. He took three singles titles at Roland Garros, and two at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. In addition, he won three Grand Slam doubles titles. In 1929, he married French golfer Simone de la Chaume. Their daughter, Catherine Lacoste, became the first (and as of 2015, only) golfer to win the U.S. Women's Open as an amateur in 1967.