Her final tournament was the London Paralympics in September. She captured the gold medal with typical ease, winning 7 of 12 sets in the singles competition by the score of 6-0. It was her fourth Paralympic gold medal in singles, to go along with her 21 Grand Slam singles titles. Although she was not as dominant when sharing the court with a partner, Vergeer also found success in doubles, winning 3 Paralympic gold medals and 23 Grand Slam titles.

“Esther Vergeer is a tremendous ambassador not only for tennis, but also for disability sports,” Francesco Ricci Bitti, the International Tennis Federation’s president, said in a statement. “She is an inspiration to many. Wheelchair tennis owes her a huge debt of gratitude for her professionalism and her quality as a player.”

Vergeer became paraplegic after spinal surgery at 8. Her first forays into wheelchair sports were in basketball, but she picked up tennis at 12 and decided to focus on it in 1998. By 1999, Vergeer had reached the No. 1 ranking.

Vergeer spent 668 weeks at No. 1, including every week from Oct. 2, 2000, to Jan. 21, 2013.

She continued to push to improve even after years of uninterrupted supremacy. In 2009, she began working with the Dutch coach Sven Groeneveld, who coached Monica Seles, Mary Pierce and Ana Ivanovic.

“To work with someone who has been that long undefeated took a little time to adapt,” Groeneveld said. “Because what do you work on? What can be better if you’re undefeated for so long?”