Former World No. 1 Left Bankrupt After Ex-Husband’s Alleged $41 Million Fraud

It has been 24 years since Arantxa Sanchez Vicario retired from professional tennis. Yet, life after the sport has been anything but smooth for the former World No. 1. Now, Sanchez Vicario is at the center of a legal and financial battle that has left her bankrupt and facing severe financial difficulties.

Although she is currently paying a substantial fine after being convicted in a fraud case, Sanchez Vicario has maintained that the family’s finances were handled by her ex-husband, whom she alleges was responsible for draining much of the fortune she earned during her tennis career.

“I trusted him because he was the father of my children. I fell blindly in love, but he really isn’t the person I thought he was”, confessed Vicario. “It’s true. I focused on playing tennis and never handled my own financial affairs because I didn’t know how”. Vicario and Josep Santacana were married for more than a decade from 2008 to 2019, during which it was the latter who managed the lucrative sum of $41 million dollars, which was Vicario’s on-court earnings from her illustrious career.

However, allegations of fraud against Vicario began in the 1990s, when, in 1993, the Spanish authorities accused her for tax evasion, as the former World No. 1 had claimed to be living in Andorra, despite being a Barcelonan resident, thereby enabling her to evade the country’s tax regulations.

The legal case lasted until 2009, when she was ordered to pay a penalty of over 3 million euros after being convicted of tax fraud. However, that was not the end, as in 2015 the Banque de Luxembourg levied yet another fine against the Spaniard, amounting to almost $5.2 million.

In 2023, Vicario and her husband were taken to court for covering their assets and failing to pay their outstanding debts to the bank. By then, the couple had already announced their split as Santacana filed for divorce in 2018. This is when the former World No.1 had a tearful breakdown in the courtroom, accusing her ex-husband of betraying her trust.

And now, Vicario is currently paying a debt of over $6 million, giving up half of her current earnings.

Although her life away from tennis has been far from straightforward, Sanchez Vicario’s legacy on the court speaks for itself. She was among the finest players of her era, thriving in both singles and doubles.

Sanchez Vicario asserted her dominance in both Singles and Doubles

Vicario was one of six women who had the honor of achieving the unique feat of being No.1 in both singles and doubles in their careers. The Spaniard had the unique distinction of having both the No.1 rankings at the same time in 1995.

In singles, she was the force that was a constant challenge for the duo of Steffi Graf and Monica Seles. She faced Graf in five Major finals, winning two titles, including her maiden Major final at the 1989 French Open.

Against Seles, she lost the first two Grand Slam finals, but it was the Spaniard who won the last Slam final between the two at the 1998 French Open. Vicario’s all-court game and baseline power made her a threat on all surfaces, as she reached the final of all Majors, winning the US Open title in 1994 and three French Open titles in 1989, 1994, and 1998.

Vicario was dominant on the doubles surface as well, with her partnership with Jana Novotna being a success at the Majors, as the duo won three of the six Grand Slam finals they reached together. The Spaniard also won two Majors with Helena Sukova, winning her final doubles Major at the 1996 Australian Open with Chanda Rubin.

The Spaniard also won four Olympic medals for her country, two apiece in singles and doubles, which only makes the decision of putting her in the Hall of Fame in 2007 a no-brainer.

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