Wimbledon favourite left penniless despite winning £12m - 'my parents lost everything'

Former world No. 1 Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario once alleged that her family blew her fortune, leaving her with 'nothing'. Despite being the first player to beat both the Williams sisters and winning 14 Grand Slam titles, Sanchez-Vicario's life since her retirement in 2002 has been turbulent.

Among Sanchez-Vicario's titles are singles triumphs at the French Open and US Open, doubles successes at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open, and mixed doubles victories at the Australian Open, French Open and US Open. She earned around £12m in prize money during her career, in addition to a reported £23.6m in endorsements and sponsorships. But in 2012, she claimed in a high-profile autobiography that her family left her with 'nothing', having managed her finances during her career.

"My parents left me with nothing and now I am indebted to the [tax authorities] and I will not be quiet," Sanchez-Vicario wrote. "In recent months I have lived through situations so difficult that there are still times when I think it is a nightmare.

"The truth is the relationship with my family is nonexistent. How is it possible that everything I obtained has disappeared, does not exist? I am the victim and the cheated one."

Nearly 15 years after she became the first singles player to beat Serena and Venus Williams, Sanchez-Vicario sued her father and older brother Javier. After three years, the case closed after an undisclosed settlement was reached.

Sanchez-Vicario's relationship with her family continued to be strained. Following the financial settlement, her mother published a statement that accused the now-53-year-old of showing no 'concern' for her family.

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"We never took advantage of Arantxa and under no circumstances is she broke," her mother said at the time. "We have not received a single visit from our daughter. Not a single trace of concern. Not even a 'how are you?'

"For 20 years we lived for her. We left everything else aside and we jeopardised our lives and our marriage. "I personally accompanied her from a very young age to all her tournaments. It's clear we failed with her."

Sanchez-Vicario had a brief spell coaching Caroline Wozniacki in 2015. She is a rare example of someone ranking as the world No.1 in both singles and doubles, and won 102 titles across singles, doubles, and mixed doubles competitions during a 17-year career.

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