Tennis Star Arantxa Sanchez Vicario Lost $60M Fortune to Ex-Husband, Now Pays Half Earnings

Four-time Grand Slam champion Arantxa Sanchez Vicario revealed on Spanish television that her entire $60 million career fortune has vanished, blaming her ex-husband Josep Santacana for financial mismanagement. The 54-year-old was handed a two-year suspended jail sentence in 2024 after a Barcelona court found her guilty of hiding assets to avoid repaying a $10 million debt to Banque de Luxembourg. She now dedicates 50% of her earnings to repay approximately $11 million in outstanding debts.

How the fortune disappeared

Sanchez Vicario earned an estimated $60 million during her tennis career but lost access to all of it. She told Spanish TV show Universo Callejo on July 23 that she never handled her own finances because she lacked knowledge of money management. Her ex-husband Santacana, an entrepreneur, controlled the assets during their 11-year marriage from 2008 to 2019. “I trusted him because he was the father of my children,” she said. “I fell blindly in love, and he really isn’t the person I thought he was.”

The 2024 fraud conviction and sentence

Sanchez Vicario and Santacana faced trial in 2023 after prosecutors accused them of concealing assets to avoid paying a $10 million debt to the Luxembourg bank. In January 2024, a Barcelona court found both guilty of fraud. Sanchez Vicario received a two-year suspended sentence, meaning she avoided prison time on condition she complied with court orders. Santacana was sentenced to three years and three months in prison. She told the court she had relied on financial help from friends to survive and feared going to jail.

Current repayment obligations and prior tax issues

To avoid prison, Sanchez Vicario agreed to dedicate 50% of her future earnings to repay the approximately $11 million debt. She is currently working as a tennis coach in the United States. This is not her first financial legal trouble. In 2009, Spain’s Supreme Court ordered her to pay a $5.9 million fine for tax fraud covering the years 1989 to 1993, when she falsely claimed to be a resident of Andorra instead of Barcelona to reduce her tax liability.

What this means for high-earning athletes

Sanchez Vicario’s case illustrates the financial risks athletes face when they cede complete control of their wealth to a spouse or manager without oversight. She earned one of the highest incomes in women’s tennis during the 1990s, winning three French Open titles, the 1994 US Open, and reaching multiple Wimbledon and Australian Open finals. Despite that success, she now faces decades of debt repayment and has no access to her accumulated wealth.

Final Thoughts

Sanchez Vicario’s $60 million fortune collapse serves as a cautionary tale for athletes who delegate financial management without maintaining oversight. Her suspended sentence and ongoing 50% earnings garnishment mean she will spend years rebuilding from zero despite a legendary playing career.

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