Ex-world number one tennis players' $41million fortune from the sport 'vanished'

Arantxa Sanchez Vicario was once one of the best women's tennis players on the planet, and now she has detailed how her $41million fortune "vanished".

Sanchez Vicario's successful career in tennis propelled her to the top of the sport.

A four-time Grand Slam singles champion, including three French Open victories, the Spaniard rose to number one in the world for 12 weeks in February 1995.

The 54-year-old, who announced her retirement in 2002, achieved even more success in doubles, recording six Grand Slam titles - notably winning Wimbledon alongside Jana Novotna in 1995.

Sanchez Vicario reached the pinnacle of tennis during an illustrious career, but has since gone on a downward spiral and is currently going through one of the hardest times of her life.

The former Wimbledon doubles champion has revealed that she has lost almost all of her fortune after trusting her former husband, Josep Santacana, with her finances during their marriage between 2008 and 2019.

“I trusted him because he was the father of my children," Sanchez Vicario said on the Spanish TV show Universo Callejo.

“I fell blindly in love, and he really isn’t the person I thought he was.”

In 2024, Sanchez Vicario and Santacana were found guilty of fraud after the couple allegedly hid assets in an attempt to avoid paying large debts to the Banque de Luxembourg.

She was given a suspended two-year prison sentence and ordered to pay back £5.5m worth of debt.

Opening up about losing her career earnings, an estimated $41million (£30m), the former tennis star detailed how her finances "vanished" because of her ex-husband.

"It’s true, that’s the amount that appeared in the press," she continued.

“I focused on playing tennis and never handled my own financial affairs because I didn’t know how.

“I trusted my husband… And the [£31m] vanished. I was left to shoulder the entire burden.”

How Arantxa Sanchez Vicario made history in tennis

When asked about avoiding prison time for committing fraud, Sanchez Vicario added: “I did not go to jail because I am paying 50 per cent of my earnings to the bank.

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“I am complying when deep down I was a victim.”

It is safe to say that the Spaniard has experienced turmoil since retiring from tennis over two decades ago, but her financial troubles won't tarnish her legacy in the sport.

Like many legendary players, Sanchez Vicario made history on numerous occasions, including in 1989, when she became the youngest French Open champion at the time, aged just 17.

A victory over Steffi Graf, who was world number one at the time, catapulted her into the limelight, and she continued to deliver.

Sanchez Vicario won four medals for Spain at the Olympics across the 1992 Barcelona and 1996 Atlanta Games, while capturing a total of 14 major titles across the singles, doubles and mixed doubles.

Her incredible achievements in the sport were honoured in 2007, as she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, which features names such as Maria Sharapova and Pam Shriver.