Tennis Star Arantxa Sanchez Vicario Loses $60M Fortune to Ex-Husband, Faces Debt Repayment

Former world No. 1 tennis player Arantxa Sanchez Vicario has revealed she lost her entire $60 million fortune after her ex-husband Josep Santacana allegedly squandered her wealth through fraud. In a July 23 interview on Spanish TV show Universo Callejo, the four-time Grand Slam champion said she was handed a two-year suspended jail sentence in 2023 and now pays 50% of her wages to Banque de Luxembourg to avoid prison. She blames Santacana for the financial collapse while she focused on her tennis career.

How the fraud trial unfolded

Sanchez Vicario and Santacana went to trial in 2023 accused of hiding assets to avoid paying bank debts. In 2024, a Barcelona court found them guilty of fraud. Santacana received three years and three months in jail, while Sanchez Vicario got a two-year suspended sentence as a first-time offender. The pair were also ordered to pay 6.6 million euros (approximately $7.5 million AUD) in compensation to the bank.

Why she avoided prison

Sanchez Vicario told Universo Callejo that she escaped jail by accepting the judge’s financial arrangement. She now pays 50% of all future earnings to Banque de Luxembourg. “I did not go to jail because I am paying 50 percent of my earnings to the bank,” she said. “I am complying when deep down I was a victim.” She described the shock of the trial as so severe she required therapy.

Decades of tax troubles

This 2023 trial was the latest in a series of criminal charges dating back to the early 1990s. Between 1989 and 1993, Sanchez Vicario falsely claimed to be a resident of Andorra for tax purposes while living in Barcelona. In 2009, she was found guilty of tax evasion and ordered to repay 3.5 million euros. In 2015, Banque de Luxembourg filed a complaint against her for credit and property fraud worth $5.2 million.

Her account of the betrayal

Sanchez Vicario said she trusted her ex-husband with her finances because she focused entirely on tennis. “I focused on playing tennis and never handled my own financial affairs because I didn’t know how,” she told the Spanish TV show. “I trusted my husband and the money vanished. I was left to shoulder the entire burden.” The pair were married for 11 years and have two children together. They divorced in 2019.

Her tennis legacy

Sanchez Vicario won three French Open titles (1989, 1994, 1998) and the US Open in 1994. She was ranked world No. 1 in both singles and doubles and reached multiple finals at Wimbledon and the Australian Open. She retired in 2002 and had a court named after her at Caja Mágica, which hosts the Madrid Masters tournament. She now works as a tennis instructor in the United States while repaying her debts.

Final Thoughts

Sanchez Vicario’s case shows how financial mismanagement by a trusted partner can devastate even the wealthiest athletes. With half her future earnings committed to debt repayment, the former champion faces years of financial strain despite her legendary tennis career.

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