Rene Lacoste

He died after a celebrated his 92 th birthday, and left heirs empire that knows no boundaries. It has everything that ought to have any decent kingdom: coat of arms, the army, which owns the most modern weapons, and even navy.
. Coat of arms of "Lacoste" - green crocodile with open mouth ostrozuboy; weapons - tennis rackets and golf clubs, and the fleet - sailing yachts with the image of the same alligator on board
. Needless to mention the millions of citizens - in Japan, China, USA, India, Morocco and, of course, in France, where the name of Rene Lacoste became legendary, long before they began to acquire the current contours of the empire he created sports gear!

. In the mid 20's he was considered one of the strongest tennis players of the country: three emerged victorious in the open international championships
. But not only that earned him the title "champion of all time": the French tennis Lacoste was about the same than Pele - for Brazilian football. He returned home championship in this sport, which by that time, it seemed, was irretrievably lost.
Tennis, as we know, came up with the French, are big fans of sophisticated entertainment. Even in medieval courtiers European monarchs spent time for this aristocratic game that has become to know what kind of counterbalance to coarse, devoid of any grace knight fights. Then the invention of the Gauls very successfully used the Anglo-Saxons, and the beginning of the century the tone of world tennis asked the Americans and British. Rene Lacoste was the first French retook them in 1927 Davis Cup - the prestigious prize of the American tournament, won twice at Wimbledon, which is already at the beginning of the century became the unofficial, but recognized the world championships in this sport.

. And it all began more than modestly
. In 1917, Jean Lacoste, Paris industrialist, sent his thirteen sons complete their education at the shore Albion. In English, the college boy got not only a good pronunciation, but also addicted to "white sport". It took this news Lacoste senior, is unknown, but it hardly reacted to the enthusiasm of his offspring with approval: Alas, the young Rene virtually no chance of anything achieved in this area. Thin and pale, he did not resemble the future of tennis champion. His first exit at Wimbledon ended in a crushing defeat, in the first Sete, he was routed Australian Pat O'Hara. However, the nature endowed him with an iron will, the ability to concentrate, optimistically. And three years later, in 1925, Lacoste was considered one of the strongest players in the world - after winning the Wimbledon and French Open Championship, one year later he took the Davis Cup.
. Commentators still remember with admiration the details of these matches: Rene famous passionate style game that turned the race against the clock in the most exciting show
. O what joy the sight aroused the audience, can be judged already by the fact that prim British welcomed his appearance on the court standing. The simple-Americans expressed their feelings differently - awarded him the nickname Crocodile. Maybe someone and it would seem offensive, but not Lacoste: he only laughed, telling of his origin. "I was nicknamed Crocodile American journalists, after they learned that I have a bet on the trunk of the alligator with the captain of our national team that competed in Davis Cup. The match I won and received immediately and a suitcase, and ... nickname.
A few years later he always leaves the big sport. I will devote the next three decades building his empire. First opened on shares with Andre Lodging, the owner of a textile factory, a small company, manufacturer of shirts for tennis, golf and sailing. Each of them decorated with hand embroidered logo - a green crocodile. (The same, . which fans are accustomed to see on top form Rene Lacoste: after the triumph in the Davis Cup, he asked to defer to her image of crocodile.) French designers gasped - at that time was itself a novelty knitted polo (which, . by the way, . more than half a century has not changed), . embroidered on it and the beast: no one had never occurred to put the brand on the front of clothing,
. Thirty years later, becoming the owner of the network of shops and businesses in France, Italy and Spain, Lacoste passes the reins by his eldest son, Bernard. But not to retire - he began to reform Tennis. For all its novelties good fortune, since they were prompted by his own experiences
. He remembered that the Americans were heavily hit the ball - and created the anti-sticker on the grid tennis racket, reduces the risk of the most common hand injury
. At one time he fought a lot about how to enhance hit, because he never possessed a strong supply. And finally achieved it, designed the first metal tennis racket with a new fastening system of strings, which brought victory and a lot of prizes at Grand Slam tournaments, Jimmy Connors and Billy King. Remembering the many hours of training, . which enabled him, . player with not too bright data, . enter sports world to the elite, . he invented and patented a gun, . fires a ball at different ends of the court, . that the tennis player could work out the technique alone.,
. In short, the current master rackets owe Rene Lacoste
. The French have not forgotten about this: when the 1996 team won the republic's Davis Cup in Malmo, the winners of the traditions were dressed in costumes from the firm "Lacoste". Rest of humanity, including the part that does not distinguish tennis from badminton, Rene also repeatedly reminded about: the millions of alligators, printed on all sorts of things - from cars and sail yachts up bottles with toilet water. Toothed reptile shop windows decorated with a good two thousand shops "Lacoste" around the world. They say, though, that Maitre Rene looked once to one of them muttered: "Frankly, I would prefer a Gallic rooster ..."