THEY were once part of an elite group with millions in the bank thanks to their success on the court.
But for some top tennis players their glory days seem like a distant memory, after losing their vast fortunes.
GettyBoris Becker made £127million from his tennis career but lost it all[/caption]
One ex-Wimbledon legend hit rock bottom following an expensive divorce, while another former champion claims he was swindled out of £23.7million by his own dad.
Here we take a look at the stars of the game who lost millions.
‘Duped’ by parents
In a career that spanned 20 years until her retirement in 2020, Arantxa Sánchez, 51, was one of the most powerful players in women’s tennis.
The Spaniard was a former World No. 1 in both singles and doubles and went on to win 14 Grand Slam titles – four in singles, six in women’s doubles, and four in mixed doubles.
By the time of her retirement her career prize money stood at £13.4million, and she had several endorsement deals.
But in 2012 she made the startling revelation she was struggling to pay off debts.
She claimed in her book – Arantxa, Vamos! Memoirs of a Struggle, a Life, and a Woman – it was because her parents had drained her of her £43.5million fortune.
“My parents left me with nothing and now I am indebted to the [tax authorities] and I will not be quiet. My mother decided on my hair, my clothes… When I bought something on my own, she rarely liked it. Today, I am without resources,” Sánchez wrote.
GettyArantxa Sánchez was one of the most dominant players in women’s tennis[/caption]
GettyIn her book she claimed her mum stole millions from her[/caption]
“I never questioned the way my father managed my money. I have been a victim, I was duped.”
Her parents denied the allegations, claiming they were made to “hurt and humiliate” them.
It was reported by Euro Sports that Sánchez was no longer in touch with them, or her two brothers.
Blew £127m fortune
AlamyBoris Becker made an eye-watering £127million from his incredible career[/caption]
The Mega AgencyHe blew the lot, thanks to his expensive lifestyle, and was later sentenced to jail for hiding his assets[/caption]
Boris Becker became the youngest winner of the men’s Wimbledon title aged just 17 in 1985. Over his 15-year career, he won 64 titles – including six Grand Slams.
The 55-year-old German, who became a commentator and media personality after his playing career ended in 1999, is generally considered one of the greatest names in the sport.
Becker made £127m throughout the course of his career but said he began to suffer financial difficulties post-retirement.
He revealed his £12million out-of-court divorce settlement with ex-wife Barbara in 2018, as well as his expensive lifestyle, which included £22,000-a-month rent for a house in Wimbledon, all contributed to the loss of his fortune.
In 2001 he was ordered to pay millions to a Russian model he had fathered a daughter with.
The following year he was found to owe £800,000 in liabilities after being convicted of tax evasion and attempted tax evasion in Germany. It was reported he’d made some unsuccessful investments in Nigerian oil companies.
Becker was declared bankrupt in 2017 due to an unpaid loan of over £3m on his estate in Mallorca, Spain.
His ultimate fall from grace came after he was found to have hidden assets and loans he was required to disclose to creditors and the bankruptcy trustee.
In April 2022 Becker was jailed for two and a half years after he was found guilty of four offences under the Insolvency Act.
Dad’s betrayal
Juan Martin del Potro received massive attention when he defeated Roger Federer in 2009Emirates
GettyHe is said to have found out that his father stole millions from him after his death[/caption]
Argentinian player Juan Martin del Potro, 34, made headlines in 2009 when he defeated the then-five-time defending champion Roger Federer to clinch the US Open.
He became the only man outside the Big Three – Federer, Djokovic and Nadal – to win a major title between the 2005 French Open and the 2012 US Open.
The 6ft 6in player, who was forced to reconsider his career after a string of injuries, also won an Olympic bronze medal at London 2012 and a silver at the 2016 Rio Games.
He made £20.4m in career prize money and had lucrative endorsement deals with huge brands like Nike, Wilson, Peugeot and Rolex.
But last year it was alleged his father Daniel, who served as his manager and was in charge of his accounts and investments before he died in 2021, had stolen £23.7million from him.
During a discussion on American TV, journalist Karina Mazzocco made the claims while discussing del Potro’s financial situation.
She said: “In the bank he should not have more than $3m. It’s a lot of money, of course, but he thought he never had to work again in his life when he realised this disaster.
“Del Potro’s father, a veterinarian by profession, swindled his own son. Juan found himself with the worst scenario when he got into the numbers.”
Failed investment
GettyGoran Ivanišević was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame after he retired[/caption]
GettyHe invested in construction in Croatia but says it all ‘went wrong’[/caption]
Goran Ivanišević, 51, made history in 2001 when he became the first and only player to have won a Wimbledon singles title as a wildcard – ranked world No. 125.
After amassing £15.7million in career prize money, the Croatian retired in 2004.
But a year later he revealed in an interview he was broke and facing bankruptcy after investing in construction businesses in his home country.
He said: “Everything in which I invested money in Croatia went wrong.
“I don’t belong to any (political) party, I’m not in any lobby or pressure group. I have not bribed anyone, and in construction business in Croatia, you cannot even build a house for a dog if don’t give bribes.”
But the player appears to have bounced back in recent years. He is now part of Novak Djokovic’s training team – a position he has held since 2019 – and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2020.
Failed fashion brand
AlamyAfter he retired, Björn Borg heavily invested in a fashion empire but it failed to take off[/caption]
GettyBorg was on the brink of bankruptcy before the company was bought for £10.2million[/caption]
Swedish player Björn Borg‘s impact on tennis is undeniable – he was the first man to win 11 Grand Slam titles in the Open Era and won five consecutive Wimbledon titles.
He set numerous records in his heyday that are yet to be broken and is regarded one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
He retired from the sport in 1984, aged 26, having earned £2.8m in prize money and millions in endorsements – though he did later attempt a comeback.
Borg, now 67, came close to losing it all when his company Bjorn Borg Design, flogging luggage, sportswear and aftershave, went bankrupt in 1989 with big losses.
His eponymous fashion brand has, however, proved more successful.
Borg faced bankruptcy again in 1997, with creditors pursuing him for around £786K, but he was bailed out.
In 2006 he sparked concern when he tried to auction off his five Wimbledon trophies and two winning tennis racquets.
Later that year a Swedish newspaper claimed the government was chasing him for £1.4m in unpaid taxes.
Borg’s personal life also contributed to his financial woes – he was twice divorced before marrying his current partner, Patricia Östfeldt, in 2002.
He now lives in an apartment in central Stockholm after selling his huge mansion nearby in 2019.
Legal woes
News Group Newspapers LtdRoscoe Tanner made £1.3million from his tennis career[/caption]
.Since his retirement, he has faced a ton of legal issues[/caption]
US player Roscoe Tanner, now 71, who was renowned for his speed on the court, won his first and only Grand Slam title in 1977.
He’d banked £1.3million in career prize money by the time he retired in 1985.
But in the 2000s he was dogged by a litany of legal issues and financial misfortunes.
In January 2006 he was sentenced to two years in jail for parole violation following a grand theft conviction.
Tanner had been sentenced to 10 years probation in November 2003 for bouncing a £28K cheque used to buy a 32-foot boat in 2000.
Prior to that he was arrested in 1997 for failure to pay child support.
In 2008, another bad cheque charge was settled out of court.
After being evicted from his home in 2012, Tanner was again nicked by cops for yet another dodgy cheque. More arrests of the same nature came in March 2013, along with charges of grand theft.
Roscoe served 10 days in jail for driving with a suspended license in 2014 and was again arrested for failure to appear in court on a previous warrant the following year.
Mounting debt
Patty Schnyder was once one of the brightest stars in tennisGetty
GettyReports in 2012 said she owed £333,000 and had fled her home country[/caption]
Patty Schnyder was once seen as one of the rising stars of tennis, having netted wins over tennis greats Martina Hingis and Serena Williams, won 11 singles titles and reached six Grand Slam quarter-finals and one semi-final.
In 2003 she married Rainer Hofmann, who had become her coach. Hofmann was reportedly convicted for fraud in Germany in 2002 and sentenced to three years probation.
By the time she first retired in May 2011, she had made £6.7million.
But in 2012 it was reported that Schnyder, now 44, owed around £330,000 to creditors.
This apparently led to a forced auction of her personal belongings, including trophies, racquets and tennis balls, in her native Switzerland.
It was claimed Schnyder and Hofmann fled to Germany as a result of her mounting financial woes.
Although a return to tennis in 2015 looked promising, she retired again after a loss to Maria Sharapova in the first round of the 2018 US Open.