CAY HILL—Some 40 children from after-school activity programmes had the chance to meet a professional wheelchair athlete at an event organized at the Raoul Illidge Stadium tennis courts on Tuesday afternoon.
Tom Egberink (26), currently ninth in the world rankings for wheelchair tennis singles and doubles, was on a short vacation in St. Maarten after competing at the Doubles Masters Championship in Orlando, Florida, where he finished third. The meet and greet was jointly organized by Henri Brookson from the Be Able Foundation and Les Brown from the LAB Sports Academy and sponsored by Community Aid Sentry Hill for the drinks and snacks.
No stranger to St. Maarten, Egberink competed here in 2013 at the International Wheelchair Tennis Tournament held at Port de Plaisance. He’s an ambassador for the Johan Cruyff Foundation and was joined by two other local ambassadors, Rianne Bieckmann and Rudi Groma. These days Egberink’s hectic schedule has him jetting around the world competing at all the major world-ranked tournaments with little time off.
He spoke of his disability with the children, his career in wheelchair tennis, and even showed them his prosthetic limb, in between demonstrations of wheelchair maneuvering and tennis skills. Children responded with delight asking all sorts of questions. The main take away from this interaction was an appreciation that physical disability does not stop one from reaching the top of one’s game, whatever sport one chooses.
“I enjoyed talking to the kids because I think they don’t get much exposure to disabilities and understanding what you can do and cannot do. Even if you are very disabled, there’s a sport for everyone,” he says.
Egberink was born with a leg shorter than the other one, a rare condition. Complications with his foot meant it had to be amputated at nine years old which resulted in the prosthetic limb. He tried different sports but found wheelchair tennis had the right mix of excitement and energy. He still has use of his left leg which can generate power for his serve and forehands. Upper body strength is key of course.
“It was totally new to me but I really enjoyed it,” he says of the wheelchair. “I was told I had talent for it. Progress was really fast and I got to play the Junior World Championships. I trained five times a week in between study. My goal was to get to Wimbledon which I did and I won there in 2012. It was very special, to be there with Federer and Serena and everyone.”
He’s also competed in the 2012 Paralympics in London and in Rio in 2016. He lists his proudest achievements as winning Wimbledon and the Masters Doubles in Orlando in 2011 when he was 18, the youngest ever to win it.
“Today I’ve come back well after injuries and went from 45th ranking to ninth in the world. I’m feeling really good right now. My next step is to reach seventh and do all the Grand Slams. It’s going to be hard work. Right now, I’m number one in Holland and going back for the National Championships. I want to win it to close off the year in style,” he adds with a grin.
In the new year he’s off to Australia, Europe and USA before going to Asia for four weeks to qualify for the Tokyo Paralympics in August 2020 where he hopes to win a medal.
Brookson said it is the intention of the Be Able Foundation to restart the wheelchair tennis tournament next year. The tournament has not been held since 2013 due to changes, departures and other circumstances with the board.
“December is a good time to organize it because most of the top 20 players will be close by in Orlando in November for the Masters,” he said. “Les Brown and I will be motivating the handicapped to come out and do some sport. It’s a way for them to get out of their isolation.”
