Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, a former world No.1 and four-time Grand Slam winner, received a two-year suspended prison sentence for hiding assets to evade repaying a debt to a bank, as confirmed by Spanish courts.
Alongside her ex-husband Josep Santacana, she was mandated to pay 6.6 million euros to the Luxembourg bank from which they accrued the debt.
Additionally, Santacana, responsible for managing Sanchez Vicario’s finances, was given a longer sentence of three years and three months in prison by Catalonia’s High Court.
Furthermore, three other individuals were sentenced to one year and three months in prison, plus a fine.
The court’s ruling highlighted that Sanchez Vicario possessed sufficient assets to settle her debt but engaged in actions to impede its recovery through sales and evasion of seizure attempts.
Known for her achievements in tennis, including three French Open titles and the 1994 US Open, Sanchez Vicario spent 12 weeks at the top spot in 1995, also reaching the finals of the Australian Open and Wimbledon twice.