Former tennis champion says ex-husband drained €31 million

Former world number one tennis champion Arantxa Sanchez Vicario has declared herself broke, stating in a televised interview that her ex-husband squandered her multi-million dollar fortune and that she now surrenders half her income to avoid a prison sentence. The 54-year-old Spaniard, a four-time Grand Slam singles champion, made the claims on the Spanish program "Universo Callejo," detailing a financial collapse following her 2019 divorce from entrepreneur Josep Santacana.

Sanchez Vicario stated that an estimated 31 million to 41 million euros of her career earnings vanished due to her ex-husband's actions. She said she was unaware of his financial dealings, having focused entirely on her tennis career. "I focused on playing tennis and never handled my own financial affairs because I didn't know how," she was quoted as saying. "I trusted my husband. And the money vanished. I was left to shoulder the entire burden."

The athlete's financial troubles culminated in a 2023 trial where she and Santacana were convicted of fraud for hiding assets to avoid a multi-million euro debt to Banque de Luxembourg. A Barcelona court sentenced Santacana to three years and three months in jail....