( CNN ) Esther Vergeer was the world 's invincible sporting superstar , unbeaten on the tennis court for 10 years and still at the top of her game . Then one day , while she was sitting on her sofa watching TV , she decided it was time to retire , just like that . The Dutch grande dame of wheelchair tennis ended her career in 2013 on a winning streak of 470 matches -- an achievement second only to Pakistani squash great Jahangir Khan 's record mark of 555 straight victories set in the 1980s . `` That decision to walk away , to walk into a world you do n't know , have no experience in , was one of the scariest times in my life , '' Vergeer told CNN 's Open Court . `` Sometimes it still is scary ! '' An emotion fueled moment the previous summer had acted as a catalyst for Vergeer 's decision to step away from competition . After winning a seventh Paralympic gold medal at London 2012 , she broke down in tears , explaining to the media huddled around her , `` There was so much pressure on me . Everybody just expects me to win gold , expects it to be easy . '' A new life . After toiling and training for 20 years , she thought enough was enough . `` It was such a relief to win that medal , '' says the 33-year-old Vergeer as she reflects on her self-imposed sabbatical . `` So I decided to take a break after the Paralympic Games and I enjoyed not having to deal with the pressure anymore . `` I was at home watching the Australian Open [ in 2013 ] and I realized I did n't miss it . I did n't want to be in Australia . I enjoyed being home so much more . I was 32 and ready to start a new life . '' The transition from professional tennis player to a mere mortal was not easy for the wonder woman from Woerden . Vergeer dominated her field , winning seven Paralympic gold medals , 21 grand slam singles crowns and 169 singles titles overall , plus 159 in doubles competition . `` It 's difficult to be retired and not to be an athlete anymore , '' Vergeer explains . `` There are some days that I miss it . `` Winning matches , getting applause , hanging a gold medal around your neck , I guess that is some kind of addiction , something you want to feel constantly . `` I do n't have that anymore . Now in everyday life , it 's not every day that people come up to me and say I 'm doing great work . `` I had to get used to the fact that it 's not going to be there anymore . `` As an athlete your life is also so structured ; the time you get up , the time you could eat , when you could go on holiday . `` Now everything is possible and sometimes I make the mistake of planning my day too full , even after two years ! '' She may be retired from the professional game but Vergeer still has a jam-packed to-do list . Top of that list is running the Esther Vergeer Foundation , which encourages children and youngsters with a physical disabilities to participate in sport . The foundation helps organize sports days in the Netherlands but is also intent on improving sporting opportunities for disabled children around the globe . `` I do n't think a lot of kids with disabilities go out there and play sports , '' she says . `` That needs to be pushed and promoted . That 's what I really want to do . '' Vergeer 's own retirement did , however , lead her to the realization that Para-Sport is now much more prominent -- and that 's another positive trend she wants to nurture . `` When I announced my retirement it surprised me , '' she explains . `` It blew me away that I got so much attention from all over the world from China , to Iran , to America . `` It made me proud , it made me realize that Paralympic sport was grown and known all over the world . That was something I fought for all my life , all my career . `` When I started playing wheelchair tennis there was hardly any recognition or knowledge of Paralympic sports . `` In the last 20 years , I 've seen the sport grow . I 've seen it become more professional and integrated . `` There were still moments when I thought ' I 'd really like to be on that TV program ' but then some athlete without a disability became the first to call and sometimes that frustrated me . `` Then I realized , we need to see the growing process . I think Paralympic sport will get more attention , will become more integrated and will get more recognition from sponsors and companies in the future . '' Cover story . Her peerless win-record helped Vergeer blaze a trail to promote Paralympic sport , notably when she posed nude for the cover of ESPN Magazine 's `` Body Issue '' in 2010 . `` Sometimes , as a disabled athlete , you must think outside the box , '' she told CNN at the time . `` I realize that doing the shoot was 'an edgy ' thing to do but I did n't do the photos just to raise awareness of disabled sport . `` The aim of the magazine is to show how different types of bodies can perform well in sport and I hope that my photos will get that message across . '' Vergeer is now proactively , and passionately , promoting another message -- increasing the number of integrated tennis tournaments . The Wheelchair Tennis Tour , which began in 1992 , arguably already matches the demands of the WTA and ATP tennis tours , with 160 tournaments in 40 countries per season . The jewels in the crown of its tour are also the four grand slams -- the Australian Open , Roland Garros , Wimbledon and the U.S. Open -- which are staged in tandem with the prestigious able-bodied events . `` The ultimate dream I have for wheelchair tennis is that it 's going to be a very integrated sport , '' says Vergeer , who is the tournament director for Februrary 's ABM AMRO wheelchair tennis tournament in Rotterdam which is played alongside the elite men 's event . `` Able-bodied tournaments are one of the best platforms we have to showcase what people with disabilities can do . `` To show we are just human beings with ambition and a love of competition . '' Adrenaline rush . Vergeer was introduced to wheelchair tennis after she was left paralyzed following surgery to remove a clutch of blood vessels around her spinal cord when she was just eight years old . `` The moment they told me I would never be able to walk again is not the moment I remember very much , '' says Vergeer , who is paralyzed from the waist down . But her first competitive tennis match a few years later still very much lingers in the mind . `` I was so excited and nervous . It gave me goose bumps and adrenaline . I really enjoyed it . Since announcing her retirement from professional sport in February 2013 , it is basketball -- a sport she gave up when she decided to combine tennis with her university studies in management , economics and law -- which has provided her with a regular dose of sporting adrenaline . `` I have to admit that I 'm playing basketball now , '' Vergeer smiles . `` I 'm really enjoying being in a team and playing in competitions . '' But inside the confines of the Center Point sports complex in Almere , just outside Amsterdam , the former tennis ace was persuaded to pick up a tennis racquet for the first time in 18 months for CNN 's Open Court . The emotions and muscle memories stirred for Vergeer may have revealed more than a recently retired tennis pro might have wished . `` I have n't played tennis for a while now after my retirement and I noticed that coming back to the court makes me feel free somehow , '' she explains . `` I feel strong , I feel fast . I feel in control , I love that ! Now I realize a year and a half not playing tennis is too long . `` I think I 'm going to go out on court more often . '' Could 'Vergeer the Invincible ' consider making a comeback in time for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio ? The Dutch ace is keeping her counsel for now but perhaps we should n't bet against 470 straight victories and counting .
Esther Vergeer has a winning streak of 470 matches - the most set ever by a female athlete . The Dutch wheelchair tennis star says retirement was the `` scariest moment '' of her life . She is now an advocate for more integrated tennis events outside the grand slams . Vergeer wants Paralympic athletes to be seen as `` just human beings with ambition ''