As part of the US Open’s celebration of 50 years of equal prize money for men and women, USOpen.org is featuring a series of essays from successful women in a variety of fields, each offering personal perspectives on the importance of equality as well as individual insights into the challenges they’ve overcome in their respective career journeys. In this installment, Esther Vergeer, the record-smashing athlete whose remarkable talent and tenacity helped to raise the profile of professional wheelchair tennis, reflects upon the unique challenges she’s overcome in elevating herself—and her sport—en route to her induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in July.
Being a pioneer—in anything—is by its very definition, a challenge. You not only need to lead the way, you need to find the way. Given that, I suppose you could say that being a woman pioneer in a fledgling sport is a whole other level of challenge.
Happily, I’ve always loved challenges.
I’ve been in a wheelchair since I was eight years old. And when you find yourself in a situation like that, you have a choice. You can allow the chair to constrain you or you can utilize that chair as a tool to help you reach higher. I admit that for a time, I thought that the loss of the use of my legs was the end of the world. I could no longer run and play with my friends like I was used to, and to an eight year old, that’s everything.
But my parents never allowed me to feel sorry for myself, and I refused to let my chair define me. As part of my rehabilitation, I discovered sports. More important, I discovered I was good at sports—particularly basketball and tennis. For me, sports meant that I would not be confined by my chair and instead, I could reset barriers. I would rise above it.
I enjoyed basketball, and was fortunate enough to be part of the Dutch national wheelchair team that won the European championship in 1997. But for me, tennis was different. Beautifully different. The individuality, the mental and physical toughness it takes to succeed when you’re out there by yourself—it is a feeling unlike any other. I’ve always loved it, and I’ve always thrived in it. I’ve never felt more comfortable than I have on a tennis court. It’s an indescribable, almost magical feeling.
I consider myself lucky, because my home country of the Netherlands has long embraced wheelchair sports, and when I was just starting out, I was privileged to be taken under the wings of established wheelchair tennis stars like Monique Kalkman-Van Den Bosch and Chantal Vandierendonck. They were so important to me, as mentors, as friends, and as women who could show me what it took—and what it meant—to be a professional. I watched them, I listened to them, and I learned from them. In turn, they encouraged me and supported me. They helped me to learn a lot about the sport—and a lot about myself.
I would say the same of Maaike Smit, Sonja Peters and Korie Homan. At various points in my career, they each fulfilled an important role for me. It’s so important to have people like that in your life, whatever your goals may be. You need to always be listening and constantly be learning. That’s the only way to reach your goals. If you go through life always thinking you’re the smartest person in the room, you’ll find that there are a lot of rooms you’ll never get in to. Remember, no real success story is ever written alone. Every single one of them has many authors.
In most sports, the best professional athletes own the spotlight. And they should, because they earn the spotlight. For me, while I’ve always been proud to be recognized for my talent and achievements, I’ve always worked hard to make sure that any spotlight that falls on me shines widely enough to illuminate our sport as a whole. That’s always been important to me; I’ve always considered that both a privilege and a responsibility. I’ve always wanted to use my platform as a champion to elevate the status of wheelchair tennis and make more people aware of the sport and those of us who play it.
You have to remember, when I started in this sport, wheelchair tennis was a far cry from what it is today. There was very little money, very few sponsors, and very little publicity for wheelchair players. There were certainly no wheelchair events held in conjunction with tennis’ Grand Slam events, as there are now. Obviously, there’s still a long way to go in publicizing the sport and allowing the athletes who play it to earn a living at it, but we’ve made progress, and for all of my accolades, I may be most proud of the role that I’ve played in that progress. There is of course room to grow, but I am so proud of where wheelchair tennis is now.
I was fortunate to find something I was good at, and something that I absolutely believed in. I always wanted to help make the sport better because I believed in the potential that wheelchair tennis had. Of course, I also saw that not everybody was on the same level as I was playing or was taking it as professionally as I did, but I never let that deter me, because I believed in the sport and I believed I could help to make the sport better. I continued to believe that I could become better and better, until the day that I retired.
I always felt that if I continued to raise my game, I could help raise our sport.
I was fortunate to find something I was good at, and something that I absolutely believed in. I always wanted to help make the sport better because I believed in the potential that wheelchair tennis had. - Esther Vergeer
Now, you don’t get a platform to do that if you’re not winning, so I was always determined to win, and to continue to make myself a better athlete. Between the lines, I knew I was playing for both myself and for my sport. But I also saw that outside the lines so much more was happening for the sport as a whole. I always knew that that was a big responsibility which carried added pressure, but as Billie Jean King has so often said, “Pressure is a privilege.”
From the first time I was on a court, I loved being out there, and having fun with my racquet and the tennis ball. Only a couple of years later I wanted to become an elite athlete. I wanted to be recognized as one of the best tennis players in the world. The incredible compliments and accolades that I received throughout my career meant so much to me. Hard work has its rewards. To have champions like Roger Federer, Kim Clijsters, Martina Navratilova, Maria Sharapova and others chat me up and ask about my game was a thrill. Hard work earns you respect.
I won a lot. I’m proud of that. There were many titles; some incredible streaks. I won 21 Grand Slam singles titles and 23 more doubles titles at the majors. I was ranked No. 1 in the world. I’m particularly proud to have represented my country in winning four Paralympic Gold Medals in singles and three more in doubles, along with 14 World Team Cup titles. As most tennis fans know, I finished my career winning 559 of my final 560 matches, including a 470-match winning streak.
If I’m being completely honest, I have to admit that there were times during my streak when winning was no longer the motivation. It was more about pushing myself, trying new things, challenging myself. I would push myself harder in training, looking for something to help me raise my game. I wasn’t always being challenged in my matches, so I would always try to find new ways to challenge myself. It’s so important always to challenge yourself. It’s the only way to grow. So find a way. I always wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone, because discomfort makes growth. To this day, I’m still trying to grow.
I’m proud of my career, and just as proud of being a wife and mom and continuing to try to use my platform to help others. I created the Esther Vergeer Foundation to help kids with disabilities realize their own dreams through sports. I’m still committed to elevating wheelchair tennis as Tournament Director of the ABN AMRO Open’s wheelchair tennis tournament, and working with the Dutch Paralympic Committee. There are still so many challenges. And I still love a challenge.
I am beyond honored to have been selected for induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in July, and especially thrilled to be sharing this year’s induction stage with Rick Draney, the outstanding American wheelchair tennis player. To take my place in the Hall of Fame alongside the greatest players ever to play the sport is a dream that I never possible could have imagined when I started my career all those years ago. And two wheelchair athletes inducted together as the lone representatives of the Class of 2023? Another incredible first.
I’m glad I’ve always loved challenges. It’s good to be a pioneer.
