Complete Player

The last time Esther Vergeer lost a match, it was windy. That?s what the 29-year-old wheelchair tennis No. 1 was thinking on court Thursday at the wind-strewn U.S. Open. In her straight-set match against France?s Florence Alix-Gravellier, Vergeer was down 4-5 in both sets before taking each 7-5. The victory brought the Dutchwoman?s winning streak to 394 consecutive matches over seven years.

Vergeer, who became paralyzed after a surgery as a child and who previously excelled at wheelchair basketball, has won 10 world championships in wheelchair tennis and three Paralympic singles gold medals. She?s done it all in the game, which may be why she took time off early this year to explore other interests, trying out other sports and even working an internship at a sports management firm. Now, of course, she?s back to her winning ways. I caught up with Vergeer after her opening-round Open match.

What makes you so unbeatable?

I?m mentally strong, that?s a big part of it. And besides that I try to be a complete player. I know my chair skills are quite good, because I use my chair every day. If you?re like an amputee, you don?t use your chair everyday. I work really hard on the physical part, as well. I think a lot of players don?t do that as much yet.

What do you do for your fitness?

I lift weights and I do a lot of core stability. There?s a lot of twisting in my lower back, of course, sitting in a wheelchair. And my lower back is my weakest part because that?s where my disability is, so I have to work hard on that.

You gave your opponent a nice hug over the net after the match. Are you close with the other women on tour?

Yeah, we are. Maybe friendship isn?t the right word. More like colleagues or whatever, but very close. We don?t usually travel with coaches or family because it?s just way too expensive. So we hang out with each other and have dinners and sometimes go to the movies. In New York, we had a Broadway show we went to with the whole group. Billy Elliot.

You work with Adidas player development coach Sven Groeneveld. Does he ever travel with you?

Sven travels with the able-bodied tour a lot, so he?s away. But whenever we?re playing Grand Slams, he?s there.

There are a lot of elite wheelchair players from the Netherlands. Is there a pioneer who brought the game there?

The one who started the game is an American, Brad Parks. But I think from the beginning there?s been a lot of Dutch wheelchair tennis players. Being part of the Dutch tennis association, we get the same treatment and the same rights and facilities.

Parks was just inducted into the Hall of Fame. Do you think about entering the Hall?

It is a dream of [mine]. If I would ever get that honor, that would be amazing.

So what?s next?

My focus is on the Paralympic games in London in 2012. I really want to win that fourth gold medal. After that we?ll see. I?m working on my foundation and I?m developing plans with a commercial Paralympic team I want to start in the Netherlands. I?m trying out a lot of things at the moment. I?ve had a boyfriend for a year and a half now, so it?s a lot fun of being at home. In two years, I don?t know, maybe I?ll start a family.

?Sarah Unke

Source: http://feeds.tennis.com/~r/tenniscom-features/~3/0K62GbQL5zM/

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