By Tom DegunAlthough it is a title of such huge prestige, Dutch wheelchair tennis star Esther Vergeer

side, there's also the fact that they need the mental ability to become 'the one that is going to beat Esther

The London 2012 Paralympics are set to be the final act in a glittering career for Vergeer, who admits

But Vergeer knows that she will have full support from her team, particularly her physical trainer Marijn

Although it remains a painful subject, Vergeer recalls the time vividly."

Now such an inspiration, Vergeer knows that she has a responsibility to all her supporters to try and

By David GoldApril 25 - Esther Vergeer, the dominant woman on the world wheelchair tennis circuit, and

offer an opportunity for players to get used to the temporary venue in the Olympic Park.Dutchwoman Vergeer

By David GoldApril 4 - There was success for Esther Vergeer, Stéphane Houdet and Noam Gershony, as the

Dutchwoman Vergeer (pictured) beat compatriot Aniek van Koot in three sets 6-3, 6-7, 6-2.It was the first

by defeating Dutch third seeds Tom Egberink and Scheffers 6-4, 6-1.The all-conquering Dutch duo of Vergeer

By Tom Degun at Westminster in LondonFebruary 6 - Oscar Pistorius (pictured) was crowned the 2012 Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability for the first time in his career at a glittering ceremony here tonight.

wheelchair racer David Weir, Russian cross country skier Irek Zaripov, Dutch wheelchair tennis player Esther

Vergeer and swimmer Daniel Dias and athlete Terezinha Guilhermina, both from Brazil."

By Tom Degun at Westminster in LondonFebruary 5 - Golden Globe and BAFTA Award-winning actor Clive Owen (pictured) is to host the 2012 Laureus World Sports Awards, the international sporting calendar's most premier honours event, in Central Hall, here tomorrow evening, it has been announced.

Championships.Pistorius faces tough competition from swimmer Daniel Dias, sprinter Terezinha Guilhermina, tennis player Esther

Vergeer, wheelchair race David Weir and biathlete and cross country skiier Irek Zaripov.After recovering

By Tom DegunSeptember 11 - Dutch wheelchair tennis icon Esther Vergeer continued to underline her status

6-2, 6-1 meaning that her remarkable winning streak dates back to January 2003.The result also saw Vergeer

Vergeer is set to retire from the sport following the conclusion of the London 2012 Paralympics next

Norfolk misses outOctober 2010: Stir as wheelchair tennis queen poses naked for magazineAugust 2010: Esther

By Tom DegunAugust 26 - London 2012 today published the full competition schedule and ticket prices for the Paralympic Games, with the hottest ticket in town set to be in the men's 100 metre final T44 where South African Oscar Pistorius is set to take on opponent Jerome Singleton in arguably the biggest rivalry in disability sport.

women's singles gold-medal match on September 7 at Eton Manor will almost certainly see Dutch star Esther

Vergeer (pictured) take her fourth consecutive Paralympic singles gold as she has not lost in her last

By Tom DegunJuly 24 - Double Paralympic champion Peter Norfolk produced a superb performance to defeat American world number one David Wagner to secure his fifth British Open wheelchair Tennis Championships quad singles title at the Nottingham Tennis Centre.

courts being constructed at Eton Manor.While Norfolk won his fifth British Open title, the unstoppable Esther

Vergeer of the Netherlands clinched her eleventh successive British Open women's singles title after

easing to a 6-1, 6-2 victory over her compatriot and world number two Jiske Griffioen.Griffioen engaged Vergeer

of long rallies as the two players contested the final for the second year in a row, but ultimately Vergeer

Have a conversation with Sir Philip Craven and you could easily be forgiven for not immediately comprehending that you are in the presence of the most powerful figure in Paralympic sport.The 60-year-old from Bolton has such a strong North West accent and speaks in so relaxed a manner that you almost get the feeling you are speaking with an old friend in the garden of your favorite country pub.However, once you get Sir Philip talking on the topic Paralympic sport, his demeanor changes and his obvious passion for the subject quickly betrays the fact that he is not only President...

The likes of international athletes such as Esther Vergeer, Natalie du Toit and Jason Smyth really will

By Mike Rowbottom in Abu DhabiFebruary 7 - Verena Bentele's achievement in winning five skiing golds at last year's Vancouver Winter Paralympics was marked in the plush surrounds of the Emirates Palace Hotel here tonight at the Laureus World Sports Awards.

Brazil, skiers Jakub Krako of Slovakia and Canada's Lauren Woolstencroft, and wheelchair tennis player Esther

Vergeer of the Netherlands.

By Tom DegunFebruary 2 - American world number one quad player David Wagner (pictured) won his first Australian Open quad singles title and his second successive Grand Slam crown as he beat defending champion Peter Norfolk of Britain in straight sets at Melbourne Park.

Japan's mens wheelchair world number Shingo Kunieda and the Netherland's womens wheelchair world number Esther

Vergeer also claimed final victories to retain their mens and womens singles titles respectively to

Meanwhile, the unstoppable force that is Vergeer cruised to her eight Australian Open crown without dropping

December 27 - Germany's Anna Schafelhuber, a two-times winner at the first indoor Paralympic Alpine skiing event in the history of Paralympic Sport, has been voted the International Paralympic Committee's (IPC) Athlete of the Month November 2010.

Karapiro, New Zealand.Other athletes who ran Schafelhuber close were tennis players, Holland's Esther

Vergeer, who won her 400th consecutive singles match during November, and France's Stephane Houdet,

By Tom Degun October 8 - Dutch wheelchair tennis star Esther Vergeer has caused a stir by posing

Vergeer is one of six major sports stars to feature on the cover of the magazine alongside New York Knicks

However, Vergeer is the first wheelchair athlete to feature as a cover model and also the first Paralympian

Contact the writer of this story [email protected] Related stories August 2010: Esther

By Tom Degun October 8 – Dutch wheelchair tennis star Esther Vergeer has caused a stir by posing naked

Vergeer is one of six major sports stars to feature on the cover of the magazine alongside New York Knicks

However, Vergeer is the first wheelchair athlete to feature as a cover model and also the first Paralympian

By Tom Degun September 13 - Britain’s Peter Norfolk finished runner-up for the first time at a Grand Slam tournament when American David Wagner wrest his US Open quad singles title away with a dramatic 6-0 2-6 6-3 victory in New York.

There was no stopping Esther Vergeer, though.