Esther Vergeer Lecture

Speaker & Host

Esther Vergeer

Esther Vergeer is a multiple Paralympic champion who shows organizations how to handle setbacks and achieve top performance under pressure. Drawing on her extraordinary career and experience as a director and advisor, she translates her insights into lessons on leadership and teamwork. Her lectures are open, powerful, and motivating, inspiring immediate action and ownership.

Rate indication: Price on request
Available for booking as: Speaker Day chairman Panelist
Languages: Dutch English

Request a free quote

030-3040025

About Esther Vergeer

Esther Vergeer is the most successful Dutch athlete with a disability, having won an incredible 470 matches in a row. She was not born with a disability; until the age of six, she was a completely healthy child. After experiencing several symptoms and undergoing tests, it was discovered that Esther had a vascular disorder around her spinal cord. A high-risk surgery resulted in her needing a wheelchair. After her operation, Esther’s sporting career began not with tennis, but at the rehabilitation center, where she tried various sports. Tennis and wheelchair basketball immediately stood out for her. She played for the Dutch National Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team, achieving her greatest victory by winning the European Championship—an experience she would never want to miss.

Tennis

Basketball later proved difficult to combine with school and tennis, so in 1998 she had to choose between the two sports. She ultimately chose tennis—and it was the right decision. After three years competing nationally, Esther and her coach decided to take her game to the international stage. This decision led to numerous national and international titles. On 12 February, Esther retired from international tennis and simultaneously presented her biography Kracht & Kwetsbaarheid (Strength & Vulnerability). The book features forewords by sports legends Johan Cruijff and Roger Federer. In 2014, during the US Open in New York, she launched the English edition Fierce & Vulnerable. Currently, Esther Vergeer is the director of the ABN AMRO World Wheelchair Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam and serves as an advisor to NOC*NSF for the Paralympic Team NL.

Themes

Sessions

After her successful career as a wheelchair tennis player, including seven Paralympic victories, Esther Vergeer now focuses on elite sports by emphasizing the power of personal strength and talent. She is the most successful Dutch athlete with a disability, though she was not born with one. Until the age of six, she was a completely healthy child. After showing symptoms and undergoing tests, it was discovered she had a vascular disorder around her spinal cord. A high-risk surgery resulted in her using a wheelchair. Esther speaks openly and honestly about her experiences as an athlete with a disability. Her story about overcoming setbacks and demonstrating perseverance is remarkable. Motivation and enthusiasm are the key themes in her talks. In addition to presentations, Esther Vergeer also offers wheelchair tennis clinics.