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Esther Vergeer, a 7-time Paralympic gold medalist in wheelchair tennis from the Netherlands and winner of 23 championship titles, is also the founder of one of the most influential disability organizations in her country, the Esther Vergeer Foundation. A mom, wife and passionate athlete, read on for her story.
Why She’s Fearless
Esther was only 8 years old when she became a paraplegic after a surgery to repair hemorrhaging blood vessels around her spinal cord resulted in paralysis. She says it was difficult at that age to learn everything all over again; sleep-overs, playing with friends, getting dressed independently.
But she persevered and decided to became involved in adaptive sports. She tried two sports – wheelchair basketball and wheelchair tennis – but when she reached college, she knew she had to pick just one sport and wheelchair tennis was her decision. Esther was unstoppable sport for nearly 14 years.
She first entered the world of competitive wheelchair tennis in 1995. That year she won the US Open and two years later, she won her first Paralypmic gold medal in Sydney in 2000. During her career, she’s had 687 wins and only 25 losses. And 24 of those losses only happened in the first 3 years of her career. After 2001, the only other female wheelchair tennis player who managed to beat her was Daniela Di Toro from Australia).
In 2010, ESPN The Magazine chose her to grace the cover of their annual ‘Body Issue,” where she posed nude in her tennis chair, causing an uproar of opinions. Esther’s openness has definitely helped the world become more interested in wheelchair tennis.
What’s Next
After winning a gold medal in singles in London Paralympics in 2012, Esther finally decided to retire in 2013. She went on to marry her personal trainer, and together they had a daughter in 2019. She also stays busy doing motivational speaking and running her foundation, the Esther Vergeer Foundation, a foundation she started in 2004 that helps kids with disabilities exercise at normal exercise clubs and facilities using adaptive equipment.
And she published her autobiography in 2013 to coincide with her retirement, Kracht & Kwetsbaarheid (translation “Power and Vulnerability” in Dutch). Famed tennis player Roger Federer wrote the forward. And tennis stills plays an important role in Esther’s life. She stays busy as the ABN AMRO Tennis Tournament Director.
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