Former World No. 1 tennis player Arantxa Sanchez Vicario has claimed that her ex-husband squandered her $41 million fortune, leaving her with nothing and forcing her to pay half of her current earnings to a bank to avoid a prison sentence. Vicario made these revelations in a recent interview with the Spanish television show 'Universo Callejo.'
In 2024, a Barcelona court determined that Vicario and her former husband, Josep Santacana, committed fraud by concealing assets to evade a substantial debt owed to Banque de Luxembourg. Santacana received a sentence of three years and three months in prison, while Vicario, as a first-time offender, was given a two-year suspended sentence. The former couple, who divorced in 2019, were also ordered to pay €6.6 million (approximately $7.5 million) in compensation.
Vicario stated that she was unaware of her husband's financial dealings, telling the show, "I focused on playing tennis and never handled my own financial affairs because I didn't know how. I trusted my husband… And the [€36 million] vanished. I was left to shoulder the entire burden."
While reports suggest that first-time offenders in Spain sentenced to two years or less typically have their prison terms suspended, Vicario explained her arrangement with the bank. "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 situation as a shock, leading her to seek therapy. "It was like waking up from a dream and thinking, 'This can't be happening to me,'" Vicario added.
Vicario, 54, was a prominent figure in tennis during the late 1980s and 1990s. In addition to her four Grand Slam singles titles, she won two Olympic silver medals and two Olympic bronze medals at the 1992 Barcelona and 1996 Atlanta Games. She shares a daughter and a son with Santacana.
This is not the first time Vicario has faced financial disputes. She previously accused her parents and older brother of financial mismanagement, which was settled privately in 2015. Prior to that, she had to pay back taxes and penalties after falsely claiming residency in Andorra while living in Barcelona.
Attempts to reach Santacana's attorney for comment have been made by The Daily Mail.