I see today that Esther Vergeer has announced her retirement, and thought it was worth just noting it here.

A remarkable, astounding career. Congratulations to her, and all the best for whatever she undertakes next.

The WTA summary of her tennis achievements:

Vergeer's numbers speak for themselves - she won 169 titles in her career, including all 21 Grand Slams she entered and four gold medals at the Paralympic Games. In the last 10 years she won 470 straight matches and 120 straight tournaments - and in all that time she faced just one match point, against Korie Homan in the gold medal match at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing. The last time she even lost a match was against Daniela di Toro in Sydney all the way back in January 2003. 

The Dutchwoman first rose to No.1 on April 6, 1999, and held the spot for over 12 years between October 2, 2000 and January 21, 2013. She spent a total of 668 weeks as the No.1 player in the world. 

And Vergeer's success wasn't limited to the singles court - she also won 158 doubles titles, including 23 of the 26 Grand Slams she entered, and three gold medals at the Paralympic Games.