René Lacoste retired from tennis in 1932. He was 28 years old and had already established himself as one of France’s greatest players.
Lacoste won seven Grand Slam singles titles: three French Championships, two Wimbledon titles and two U.S. Championships. He also helped France win the Davis Cup during the era of the “Four Musketeers,” and he reached the world No. 1 ranking in 1926.
His retirement came relatively early by modern professional-sport standards. Health problems limited his playing career, but Lacoste remained active in sport and business. In 1933, he partnered with André Gillier to create the company that developed his famous tennis shirt and crocodile emblem.
A common mix-up is confusing his retirement year with the year the Lacoste company was founded. The tennis career ended in 1932; the clothing business began the following year. Lacoste was later inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1976.