<P> All three terms may be used interchangeably . Polo shirts are usually made of knitted cloth (rather than woven cloth), usually piqué cotton or less commonly, interlock cotton, silk, merino wool, or synthetic fibers . A dress - length version of the shirt is called a polo dress . </P> <P> In the 19th and early 20th centuries, tennis players ordinarily wore "tennis whites" consisting of long - sleeved white button - up shirts (worn with the sleeves rolled up), flannel trousers, and ties . This attire presented problems for ease of play and comfort . </P> <P> René Lacoste, the French seven - time Grand Slam tennis champion, felt that the stiff tennis attire was too cumbersome and uncomfortable . He designed a white, short - sleeved, loosely - knit piqué cotton (he called the cotton weave jersey petit piqué) shirt with an unstarched, flat, protruding collar, a buttoned placket, and a shirt - tail longer in back than in front (known today as a "tennis tail"; see below), which he first wore at the 1926 U.S. Open championship . Beginning in 1927, Lacoste placed a crocodile emblem on the left breast of his shirts, as the American press had begun to refer to him as "The Crocodile", a nickname which he embraced . </P> <P> Lacoste's design mitigated the problems that traditional tennis attire created: </P>

Where did the name polo shirt come from