| Olympic medal record | |||
Competitor for  Netherlands |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Women's wheelchair tennis | |||
| Gold | 2000 Sydney | Women's singles | |
| Gold | 2000 Sydney | Women's doubles | |
| Gold | 2004 Athens | Women's singles | |
| Gold | 2004 Athens | Women's doubles | |
Esther Vergeer (born July 18, 1981, Woerden) is a Dutch former wheelchair basketball and current wheelchair tennis player. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Wheelchair tennis is a sport that is played on a regulation Tennis court, by people using specially designed Wheelchairs All pedestrian variations of 136 Countries participated on the 2000 Paralympics Many of the same venues of the Sydney Olympics were used including the Olympic Stadium Stadium Australia. 136 Countries participated on the 2000 Paralympics Many of the same venues of the Sydney Olympics were used including the Olympic Stadium Stadium Australia. The 2004 Summer Paralympics were held in Athens, Greece, from September 17 to September 28. Wheelchair Tennis at the 2004 Summer Paralympics was staged at the Olympic Tennis Centre from September 19 to September 26. The 2004 Summer Paralympics were held in Athens, Greece, from September 17 to September 28. Wheelchair Tennis at the 2004 Summer Paralympics was staged at the Olympic Tennis Centre from September 19 to September 26. Events 390 BC - Roman - Gaulish Wars Battle of the Allia - a Roman army is defeated by raiding Gauls, Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Wheelchair basketball is a sport thought for people in Wheelchairs In some countries such as Canada Australia and England able-bodied athletes are allowed to compete alongside Wheelchair tennis is a sport that is played on a regulation Tennis court, by people using specially designed Wheelchairs All pedestrian variations of She is four-fold Paralympics tennis champion, eight-fold consecutive world-champion, and has been the world's top ranked player since 1999. The Paralympic Games are a multi-sport event for athletes with physical and sensorial disabilities Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Unbeaten since January 2003, she may be the most dominant player in any professional sports.
Vergeer became paraplegic when she was 8 years old due to an otherwise successful, very risky surgery concerning hemorrhaging blood vessels around her spinal cord. Paraplegia is an impairment in motor and/or sensory function of the lower extremities During revalidation she learned to play volleyball, basketball, and tennis in a wheelchair. After playing basketball for several years at club level, she was invited to join the national wheelchair basketball team. Basketball is a team Sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a ball through a 10 feet (3 m She played with the Dutch team that won the European championship in 1997.
Vergeer had started playing tennis in parallel with basketball, playing her first international tournament in 1996, and switched to full-time tennis in 1998. Coached by Marc Kalkman, her first big win was at the US Open championships in 1998, moving her from 15th to 2nd in the world ranking. The US Open Tennis tournament is one of the oldest tennis championships in the world first contested in 1881 During the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney she did not lose a set to win the gold medal in singles and also won the doubles title with Maaike Smit as partner. 136 Countries participated on the 2000 Paralympics Many of the same venues of the Sydney Olympics were used including the Olympic Stadium Stadium Australia. Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4
At international tournaments, Vergeer has (as of June 6, 2008) won 128 singles and 113 doubles titles. Her overall record is 531 wins and 25 losses in singles, and 363 wins and 27 losses in doubles [1]. Since March 31, 2001 she has lost only one singles match (on Jan 30 2003 at the Sydney International to Daniela Di Toro from Australia). Between August 2004 and October 2006 she won 250 consecutive sets, only one of which ended with a tiebreaker. In Games and Sports a tiebreaker or tiebreak is used to determine a winner from among players or teams that are tied at the end of a contest or a set of Vergeer is currently on a 326-game winning streak[2]. In sports a winning streak refers to a consecutive number of games won
She has been nominated five times [3] for the Laureus Award for Sportsperson with a Disability of the Year, winning it twice in 2002 and 2008. A candidate is the prospective recipient of an Award or honor or a person seeking or being considered for some kind of position for example to be elected The Laureus World Sports Awards are awarded annually to sportspeople who have been outstanding during the previous year A sportsperson ( British and American English) or athlete (principally American English is any person who participates regularly in a Sport.
Major titles
- Australian Open: singles 2002-4, 2006-8, doubles 2003, 2006-8
- British Open: singles 2000-2007, doubles 1998-2004, 2006-7
- French Open: singles 1999-2002, 2005-8, doubles 1999, 2002, 2005-8
- Japan Open: singles 2004, 2007-8, doubles 2004, 2007-8
- US Open: singles 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005-7, doubles 1998- 2000, 2003, 2005-7
- NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters: singles 1998-2007, doubles 1998-2003
- Paralympic Games: singles & doubles 2000, 2004
References
External links
- Official site
- sportscolumn.com
- ITF Profile for Esther Vergeer