Former world number one Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario has spoken about how the fortune she built during her tennis career, reportedly worth $41 million, disappeared.
One of the most successful Spanish players in tennis history, Sánchez-Vicario became a global star with her relentless baseline style and a trophy haul that included four Grand Slam singles titles, six women’s doubles crowns and four mixed doubles titles. She was later inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
The Spanish star became one of the biggest names in the sport after a hugely successful career that included French Open titles and a US Open victory in 1994.
But decades on from those achievements, her personal and financial circumstances have changed dramatically.
Off the court, Sánchez-Vicario married businessman Josep Santacana in 2008. Their relationship later broke down, and the marriage ended in 2019.
In 2024, reports said both were convicted of fraud in Spain after being accused of concealing assets to avoid repaying money owed to Banque de Luxembourg.
Although the 52-year-old avoided prison because she was a first-time offender, the New York Post reported that she agreed to repay the debt. Her ex-husband, meanwhile, was sentenced to three years and three months behind bars.
The pair were also ordered to pay a $7.1 million fine.
Speaking on the Spanish TV show Universo Callejo, Sánchez-Vicario said: “I trusted him because he was the father of my children. I fell blindly in love, and he really isn’t the person I thought he was,” the former tennis star said on Spanish TV show Universo Callejo, The Sun reports.
When asked about longstanding reports that she had lost a $41 million fortune, she replied: “It’s true, that’s the amount that appeared in the press.”
Sánchez-Vicario said she never took charge of her own finances because she did not know how, explaining that her focus remained on her tennis career instead.
She added: “I trusted my husband… And the [$41m] vanished. I was left to shoulder the entire burden,” she added.
The retired player has also described herself as a “victim” and said she managed to avoid a prison sentence because she is “paying 50 per cent of her earnings to the bank”, reportedly Banque de Luxembourg.
She also revealed that the aftermath of the case had such a serious impact on her that she sought therapy.
This was not the first major financial ruling against her. In 2009, Spain’s Supreme Court ordered her to pay a $5.9 million penalty for tax fraud. The court found that between 1989 and 1993 she had actually been living in Spain, despite claiming residence in Andorra.
Sánchez-Vicario retired in 2002, although she later returned to compete in doubles at the 2004 Olympics.
Across her career, she collected 14 Grand Slam titles in total.
That haul included four singles majors, six women’s doubles titles and four mixed doubles crowns.