Esther Vergeer facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Esther Vergeer

Full name	Esther Mary Vergeer
Country (sports)	Netherlands
Residence	Woerden, Netherlands
Born	(1981-07-18) 18 July 1981 (age 43) Woerden, Netherlands
Turned pro	1995
Retired	2013
Plays	Right handed
Int. Tennis HoF	2023 (member page)
Official website	www.esthervergeer.nl
Singles
Career record	700–25 (96.6%)
Career titles	169
Highest ranking	No. 1 (6 April 1999)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	W (2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012)
French Open	W (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012)
US Open	W (2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011)
Other tournaments
Masters	W (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011)
Paralympic Games	Gold Medal (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012)
Doubles
Career record	441–35 (92.6%)
Career titles	136
Highest ranking	No. 1 (20 October 1998)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	W (2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012)
French Open	W (2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012)
Wimbledon	W (2009, 2010, 2011)
US Open	W (2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011)
Other doubles tournaments
Masters Doubles	W (2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011)
Paralympic Games	Gold Medal (2000, 2004, 2012) Silver Medal (2008)
World Team Cup	Champion (1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009)
Medal record Representing  Netherlands Women's wheelchair tennis Paralympic Games Gold 2000 Sydney Women's singles Gold 2000 Sydney Women's doubles Gold 2004 Athens Women's singles Gold 2004 Athens Women's doubles Gold 2008 Beijing Women's singles Silver 2008 Beijing Women's doubles Gold 2012 London Women's singles Gold 2012 London Women's doubles

Esther Mary Vergeer (born 18 July 1981) is a retired Dutch professional wheelchair tennis player. She is known as one of the most dominant athletes ever. Esther won an amazing 43 major titles in her career. These include 21 singles titles and 22 doubles titles.

She also won 23 year-end championships and seven gold medals at the Paralympic Games. Esther was ranked the world's number one women's wheelchair singles player for many years. She held this top spot from 1999 until she retired in February 2013. Esther had an incredible winning streak. She went undefeated in singles matches for ten years! She ended her career with 470 wins in a row.

Over her career, Esther won 700 singles matches and lost only 25. She won 169 singles titles in total. This includes four Paralympic singles gold medals. She also won 21 major titles and 14 NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters. Esther was the world No. 1 for 668 weeks. She first reached this rank on April 6, 1999. She was named the ITF World Champion for 13 years in a row. In doubles, Esther won 136 titles. She earned three Paralympic gold medals for doubles. She also helped her team win the World Team Cup 12 times.

Esther's amazing winning streak lasted for ten years. Her last loss was on January 30, 2003. After that, she won 120 tournaments and 470 matches. She played against 73 different opponents during this time. In 95 of those matches, she didn't lose a single game. During her streak, she lost only 18 sets. She faced a match point only once, in the 2008 Beijing Paralympics final.

Esther's Early Life and Journey

When Esther was six years old, she became very ill. Doctors found fluid in her brain and bleeding. She had an operation to help. A few months later, she had more health problems. Doctors discovered a problem with her spinal cord. This caused her to have strokes.

On January 15, 1990, she had a long operation. After this, she could not move her legs. She had one more operation in March but remained paralyzed. During her recovery, Esther discovered sports. She learned to play volleyball, basketball, and tennis from her wheelchair. She played basketball for a club for several years. She was even invited to join the national wheelchair basketball team. Her team won the European championship in 1997.

Starting Her Tennis Career

Esther began her tennis journey in 1996. She won her first singles title in Tilburg. She also reached another final that year. In 1997, she continued to improve. Her success even led to her photo being in Tennis Week magazine.

She kept working hard and achieved great things. At the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney, she won the gold medal in singles. She didn't lose a single set! She also won the doubles title with her partner, Maaike Smit. Esther also won the Wheelchair Tennis Masters in 1998. In 2003, she helped her team win the World Team Cup. She also won a title in Nottingham. In 2004, Esther won singles titles in Boca Raton and Nottingham.

Esther's Amazing Professional Years

Winning Streak: 2005-2008

In 2006, Esther won singles titles in Nottingham, Atlanta, and San Diego. In San Diego, she lost a set for the first time since August 2004. She also won the Masters tournament. With her partner, Jiske Griffioen, she won doubles titles in Nottingham, Atlanta, and San Diego. They also won the doubles Masters.

In 2007, Esther won many singles titles around the world. She won in Sydney, Japan, Paris, and more. She also won all the Grand Slam titles that year. These were in Melbourne, Paris, and New York. During the French Open, she reached her 250th singles win in a row! She finished the year by winning her tenth Masters title. She was named the ITF World Champion. In doubles, she won many titles with Jiske Griffioen. They also won the Australian and US Opens together. Esther won the French Open with Maaike Smit.

Vergeer serves during a game at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics.

In 2008, Esther won both Grand Slam titles available with Jiske Griffioen. They won many other tournaments as well. At the Paralympic Games, they won the silver medal. But they ended the year by winning the Masters doubles. In singles, Esther won both Grand Slams. At the Paralympics, she won her third singles gold medal. She saved two match points in the final to keep her winning streak going! Esther finished 2008 as the world number one.

Continued Success: 2009-2012

Esther won the Grand Slam in 2009. She also won titles in Nottingham, Utrecht, and St Louis. She won her twelfth Masters title, almost losing in the final. In December, she celebrated ten years at number one. She was named the 2009 World Champion. With Korie Homan, Esther won the Grand Slam in doubles. They also won in Nottingham and at the Masters.

In 2010, Esther won the French Open and the US Open. She also won in Nottingham and St Louis. She finished the year with the Masters title. This was her 400th win in a row! She was still the World Number One. In doubles, she won at Wimbledon and the US Open.

Esther won the singles Grand Slam in 2011. She also won titles in Pensacola, Boca Raton, Nottingham, and St Louis. She finished the year by winning the Masters again. Esther was the World Number One for the twelfth year in a row. She won eight singles titles that year. In doubles, with Sharon Walraven, she won all four Grand Slams.

In 2012, Esther won many titles, including the Australian Open and French Open. At the 2012 Paralympics, Esther became the most successful wheelchair tennis player in the history of the Games. She won gold in both singles and doubles. This was her fourth singles gold medal at the Paralympics. Her doubles win was with Marjolein Buis.

Amazing Achievements and Awards

Esther Vergeer has won an incredible number of titles. She won 162 singles and 134 doubles titles in international tournaments. Her overall record is 695 wins and only 25 losses in singles. In doubles, she had 441 wins and 35 losses.

In singles, she won 21 Grand Slam titles. She also won 14 year-end championships and 4 Paralympic gold medals. In doubles, she won 22 Grand Slam titles, 9 year-end championships, and 3 Paralympic gold medals. She was also part of the Dutch team that won the World Team Cup 14 times.

From March 31, 2001, until she retired in 2013, Esther lost only one singles match. This was on January 30, 2003, to Daniela Di Toro. This means she won 559 of her last 560 matches! Between August 2004 and October 2006, she won 250 sets in a row. After her last tournament in September 2012, her winning streak reached 470 matches.

Esther has been nominated six times for the Laureus World Sports Award for Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability. She won this award twice, in 2002 and 2008. In 2023, she was honored by being added to the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

In December 2010, Esther Vergeer was featured on CNN. This was for her amazing tennis record of 401 straight wins. Famous tennis players like Roger Federer and Kim Clijsters sent her congratulations.

Major Titles Esther Won

Here are some of the biggest tournaments Esther Vergeer won:

• Australian Open: doubles 2003–04, 2006–09, 2011–12
• French Open: doubles 2007–09, 2011
• Wimbledon: doubles 2009, 2010, 2011
• US Open: doubles 1998–2000, 2003, 2005–07, 2009, 2010
• British Open: singles 2000–2010, doubles 1998–2004, 2006–09
• Japan Open: singles 2004, 2007–08, doubles 2004, 2007–08
• NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters ("World Championships"): singles 1998–2010, doubles 2001–2003, 2005–2009
• Paralympic Games: singles 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 & doubles 2000, 2004, 2012