Roger Federer pays tribute to wheelchair tennis legend Esther Vergeer in a video posted by ITF


Roger Federer pays tribute to wheelchair tennis legend Esther Vergeer in a video posted by ITF
Roger Federer and Esther Vergeer

Swiss tennis ace, Roger Federer is widely regarded as the greatest player and ambassador of tennis. The man has managed to achieve this feat by winning 20 Grand Slams and 103 ATP singles titles over the course of two long decades. Besides the on-court glory, Federer is widely loved by fans throughout the world for his personality and charm.

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The tennis world is clearly aware of Federer’s heroics. However, a wheelchair tennis legend going by the name of Esther Vergeer has won more titles and more Majors than the Swiss but unfortunately, the media only ponders over the men’s singles tennis circuit.

Esther Vergeer is a Dutch wheelchair retired tennis professional who has held a record-breaking reign at the top of wheelchair tennis that lasted an incredible 18 years, during which she won 48 Grand Slam titles, 23 year-end championships and 7 Paralympics titles.

Recently, International Tennis Federation felt the need to glorify and make Vergeer’s achievements known to the world.

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Federer believes that Esther has ‘opened the door’ for many like her to believe in themselves to make it great

In the short clip posted by ITF as a tribute to the wheelchair legend, Esther Vergeer, the Swiss can be seen lauding the champion lady for being such a remarkable influence in the same sport.

Federer pointed out how Vergeer has been a trailblazer for her sport, inspiring many others to follow in her footsteps.

“She’s obviously made wheelchair tennis really popular through her success and her domination, and that opens the door for many other players to win more things,” Federer said.

The Dutch legend then went onto reveal the shackles of her past that she had to face before she took a stand against all odds and marched on in life to literally own the playing field in tennis with her magnanimous feats.

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Esther retired in 2013 with an active streak of 470 matches, having been undefeated since 2003. A winning streak of 470 matches is next to impossible and the 39 year-old Vergees has managed to set this unbelievable record for which she was nicknamed as  ‘The Netherlands’ Roger Federer.’

For Vergeer, the greatest appreciation will always be when people look up to her life story as a source of inspiration to guide them through their journey.

“Knowing that other people take pride and inspiration from my story is the biggest compliment I can ever get,” Vergeer quoted at the end of the video.

Also Read: “Thanks for wanting to see me back on the tour,” Roger Federer delivers a heartfelt message after winning his 18th consecutive Fans’ Favourite Award

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