By Daniel EtchellsThe deadline for nominations for the prestigious Paralympic Sport Awards, which will recognise achievements from Sochi 2014, is just one week away.

female athlete honour in 2009, after winning five gold medals at Beijing 2008, while Dutch tennis player Esther

Vergeer came out on top in 2013, having won gold medals in the singles and doubles at London 2012 before

By Liam MorganNominations have opened for the Paralympic Sports Awards, which will recognise outstanding achievements from Sochi 2014, it has been announced. 

London 2012 ©Getty ImagesIn the best female category, Canada's Chantal Petitclerc and The Netherlands' Esther

Vergeer have both been given the award in the past.The last time the Ceremony had a Winter Olympic flavour

By Zjan ShirinianThe most dominant player in wheelchair tennis history has launched her biography - which charts her remarkable recovery from three internal haemorrhages at the age of eight to Paralympic and Grand Slam glory.

Esther Vergeer was at the US Open in New York City to showcase her biography, Fierce & Vulnerable

ended up in a wheelchair.Having played wheelchair tennis and wheelchair basketball as a youngster, Vergeer

unofficial World Championships at the age of 17, a title she went on to retain 13 times in a row.Esther Vergeer

with a Disability award - in 2002 and 2008 ©Getty Images for LaureusOff the court, she started the Esther

announces retirement after unbeaten decadeDecember 2012: Vergeer and Houdet named 2012 ITF wheelchair

By Gary AndersonFrench players Nicolas Peifer and Charlotte Famin have been handed wildcard places for the Roland Garros Wheelchair Tennis Event in June to complete the 16-strong field for the first Grand Slam of the year.

became only the second woman to lift the trophy following six consecutive wins for the now-retired Esther

Vergeer of the Netherlands.There will be a strong Dutch contingent again this year as Griffioen is joined

By Nick ButlerMarch 3 - Camille Vandierendonck has today become the third wheelchair tennis player, and the first female one, to be inducted into the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Hall of Fame.

Vandierendonck set a precedent for other Dutch stars including the seven time Paralympic gold medal winner Esther

Vergeer ©AFP/Getty Images"It is a tremendous honour to be the third wheelchair tennis player to be inducted

By Gary AndersonJanuary 20 - World number one Shingo Kunieda heads the list of star names confirmed for the World Wheelchair Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam as the Japanese player looks to defend the title he won at last year's event.

for Robin Ammerlaan.This year's competition will once again see four-time Paralympic gold medallist Esther

Vergeer acting as tournament director; a role she has occupied every year since the inaugural event

By Nick ButlerDecember 11 - Swimmers Daniel Dias and Susana Schnarndorf were named male and female athletes of the year at the Brazilian Paralympics Awards held alongside celebrations to mark 1,000 days to go until Rio 2016.

she also missed out in the IPC Female Athlete of the Year award given last month to Dutch tennis star Esther

Vergeer.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected] storiesNovember 2013: Vergeer

By Nick ButlerNovember 25 - Eight-time Paralympic gold medal winning tennis player Esther Vergeer has

Awards in Athens, where she was awarded Best Female for her singles and doubles titles at London 2012, Vergeer

Esther Vergeer alongside Sir Philip Craven and other winners at the Paralympics Awards in Athens ©George

SantamourisTo achieve this Vergeer has set up a programme for disabled teenagers in her native country

It's not to create talent or to create the next Esther Vergeer, it's not to create a gold medallist -

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected] storiesNovember 2013: Vergeer

of the outstanding stars of London 2012, British wheelchair racer David Weir and Dutch tennis star Esther

Vergeer, were the big winners here at the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Awards Ceremony.

successful careers," with double gold in London before announcing her retirement from the sport.In total, Vergeer

so many years of playing, and London being my last Games, this is something to be really proud of," Vergeer

By Nick ButlerNovember 20 - A nominations process for the inaugural "International Women's Day Recognition Award" is underway to find a positive role model for women from within the Paralympic Movement.

 including British swimmer Ellie Simmonds, winner of two gold medals, and Dutch tennis legend Esther

Vergeer,  winner of seven Paralympic gold medals and who won her last 470 singles matches.

By Paul OsborneNovember 11 - Japan's Yui Kamiji made history at the 2013 NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters today as she became the first non-Dutch woman to win the women's singles title.

player to win the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters women's singles title, Kamiji joined Dutch players Esther

Vergeer and Griffioen in also becoming a winner of both singles and doubles titles at the year-end

By Emily GoddardSeptember 4 - A star-studded list of London 2012 champions, including the likes of Cuban sprinter Yunidis Castillo, Italy's handcyclist Alex Zanardi and Brazil's five-a-side football squad, have been named on the shortlist for the International Paralympic Committee's (IPC) 2013 Paralympic Sport Awards.

Yunidis, Brazilian sprinter Terezinha Guilhermina, Iranian archer Zahra Nemati, wheelchair tennis player Esther

Vergeer of the Netherlands and wheelchair fencer Yu Chui Yee of Hong Kong feature on the best female