Wimbledon finalist, 54, penniless after losing entire £31MILLION fortune & still £5.5m in debt as she blames ex-husband

FORMER tennis star Arantxa Sanchez Vicario has blamed her ex-husband for the loss of her £31million fortune. The four-time Grand Slam singles champion, 54, was married to entrepreneur Josep Santacana between 2008 and 2019. Arantxa Sanchez Vicario reached world No1 in 2002 Credit: Reuters The Spaniard, 54, has endured financial issues in recent years Credit: Getty Sanchez Vicario and Santacana had two children together, a son and a daughter. Appearing on Spanish TV show Universo Callejo, Sanchez Vicario said of her ex-husband: “I trusted him because he was the father of my children. Sign up for the Sport newsletter Thank you! “I fell blindly in love, and he really isn’t the person I thought he was.” Sanchez Vicario and Santacana went to trial in 2023 accused of hiding assets in order to avoid paying back a debt owed to the Bank of Luxembourg. The former tennis star was handed a suspended two-year prison sentence and ordered to pay back £5.5m worth of debt. Asked about losing her career earnings, an estimated £31m, Sanchez Vicario added: “It’s true; that’s the amount that appeared in the press. “I focused on playing tennis and never handled my own financial affairs because I didn’t know how. “I trusted my husband… And the [£31m] vanished. I was left to shoulder the entire burden.” Most read in Tennis CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Sanchez Vicario was married to Josep Santacana for 11 years Credit: AFP On avoiding prison time, she added: “I did not go to jail because I am paying 50 per cent of my earnings to the bank. “I am complying when deep down I was a victim.” She went on to continue: “It was a shock. I had to go to therapy because I couldn’t believe it. It was like waking up from a dream and thinking, ‘This can’t be happening to me.'” Sanchez Vicario won three French Open singles titles, the first aged just 17. The Spaniard also won the US Open in 1994, in addition to reaching multiple Australian Open and Wimbledon finals. She reached world No1 in 1995, and also represented her country at FIVE Olympic Games. The Barcelona-born star hung up her racquet in 2002 and subsequently had a court named after her at the Madrid Masters tournament. Sanchez Vicario also tried her hand at coaching, working with former world No1 Caroline Wozniacki in 2015. Sanchez Vicario retired from professional tennis in 2002 Credit: EPA Comment now