Wheelchair pioneers Esther Vergeer, Rick Draney to be inducted into Tennis Hall of Fame

By JIMMY GOLEN
AP Sports Writer

Dutch wheelchair tennis star Esther Vergeer will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The seven-time Paralympic gold medalist won 470 straight singles matches in her career, going a decade without a loss. Vergeer will be joined by quad tennis pioneer Rick Draney for induction ceremonies in Newport, Rhode Island. Draney was a pioneer in quad tennis, a classification that accounts for impairment in the arms as well. Vergeer was only the first player from the Netherlands to dominate in women’s wheelchair tennis. Deide de Groot won her fifth Wimbledon title this year and has won 111 straight matches, a streak second only to Vergeer’s.