Esther Vergeer, the ‘golden girl’ of wheelchair tennis, announced her retirement from the sport on Tuesday.

The 31-year-old from Woerden won seven Paralympic gold medals and is unbeaten for the past ten years. In total, she won 470 matches in a row.

Vergeer announced her retirement on Twitter. ‘Very special day,’ she wrote. ‘Officially stopped with tennis.’

She said after the London paralympics that she would take some time off to rest and think. She will give her reasons for retiring during the ABN Amro tennis tournament which begins on Tuesday in Rotterdam.