Esther Vergeer, Rick Draney inducted into International Hall of Fame
Esther Vergeer and Rick Draney were formally inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on Saturday evening in Newport, Rhode Island, as their on-court excellence and pioneering contributions were celebrated in front of a packed crowd of family, friends, fans, and fellow Hall of Famers.
Vergeer and Draney became the sixth and seventh wheelchair athletes to be enshrined, joining Brad Parks, Randy Snow, Chantal Vandierendonck, David Hall, and Monique Kalkman-van den Bosch. Their induction marks the first time in the Hall of Fame’s history that two wheelchair candidates were elected in the same year.
Parks the very first wheelchair player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2010, and Kalkman-van Den Bosch were among fellow Hall of Famers presented on stage at the start of the Class of 2023 induction ceremony, along with fellow former players Kim Clijsters, Pat Rafter, Tracey Austin, Mary Pierce, Rosie Casals and Judy Dalton.
Relive the International Tennis Hall of Fame 2023 Induction Ceremony here.
One of the most decorated Dutch athletes of all-time, Vergeer is a 21-time Grand Slam champion, 13-time ITF World Champion, and four-time Paralympic gold medallist in singles. For 10 years, she was unbeatable and sat atop the women’s singles world rankings for 668 consecutive weeks. During one of the most dominant careers in any sport, Vergeer also won 23 Grand Slam doubles titles and four Paralympic doubles medals, three of them gold.
“Tennis gave me confidence. Tennis was making me laugh. Tennis was making me take back control over my life, believing in myself, trusting that everything would be all right. I have never felt more comfortable than I have on a tennis court,” said Vergeer, who was introduced on stage after a tribute message from her former coach Sven Groeneveld.
“I accept this honour, and I am mindful of the responsibility it carries: a responsibility to inspire the next generation of tennis players, wheelchair tennis players included, to foster a love for the sport and create pathways for individuals who dare to dream,” she added.
Draney is revered as a pioneer of the quad division of wheelchair tennis. Over the course of his career, Draney earned 12 singles and six doubles titles at the Super Series level, before the advent of wheelchair tennis’s inclusion at Grand Slam tournament. Draney spent a combined 591 weeks within the doubles and singles top 10.
Introduced by his former USA World Team Cup coach and now USTA Director of Wheelchair Tennis, Jason Harnett, Draney said:
“I am proud of the many opportunities I had to share what I had learned and developed with other quadriplegics so they could participate in play. I am proud of being an advocate and campaigner for possibilities and opportunities for growth of the quad division in the United States and around the world.”
Presented with their International Tennis Hall of Fame medals by Kim Clijsters, Honorary President of the ITHF, prior to the induction ceremony Vergeer and Draney received their signature Hall of Fame blazers while also being celebrated after the ceremony at the official enshrinement reception.
During the ITHF Enshrinement Weekend (21-23 July) fans can follow all the latest news, videos and ITHF content here.