Arantxa Sanchez Vicario enjoyed a remarkable tennis career.
The former World No.1 hold the distinguished label of being the first ever player to beat Serena and Venus Williams.
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However, her career ended on a sour note, one she blames on her parents.
Sanchez Vicario is one of Spain’s finest ever players.
She picked 14 Grand Slam titles during her career, including three French Open singles titles and one singles title at the US Open.
The Spaniard also won four Olympic medals and five Fed Cup titles, now known as the Billie Jean King Cup, as she established herself as one of the greatest ever female players.
Her legacy was secured when she had the second show court at the Madrid Open named after her.
Along with a stunning resume, Sanchez Vicario was also the first player to topple the legendary Williams sisters.
The first sister she beat was Venus, whom she overcame in Oakland back in 1994 on the now-dismissed carpet surface.
She then beat the other sister, Serena, in 1998 at the Sydney International, winning in straight sets and to become the first player to beat the pair in singles.
When retiring in 2002, it felt like Sanchez Vicario closed the chapter on a career any player would be proud of.
However, in 2012, shocking details surrounding her earnings were revealed that would dominate headlines.
Sanchez Vicario published an autobiography that stated that despite earning almost $60 million throughout her career, she had nothing left.
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This was due to her parents, she claimed, who she said exerted total control over her finances and, as a result, lost all of her money.
Sanchez-Vicario earned $17 million in prize money during her 17-year career and earned another $40 million in endorsements.
She would later sue her father and older brother Javier for the mishandling of her career earnings.
“My parents left me with nothing and now I am indebted to the [tax authorities] and I will not be quiet,” she 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.”
That court case would continue for three years before ending in a private settlement.
This was a shocking revelation within Spanish tennis as the Sanchez-Vicario were considered tennis royalty.
Her brother Javier and Emilio were also on tour and represented Spain in international tennis, like the Davis Cup.
Sanchez-Vicario’s mother wrote an open letter to Spanish media at the time and dismissed her daughter’s accusations.
“We never took advantage of Arantxa and under no circumstances is she broke,” she insisted 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?’
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“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.”
Tennis players having their money mishandled is not a new phenomenon.
Peter Graff, the father of tennis star Steffi Graf, was sentenced in 1997 to four years in prison for evading $7.4 million of taxes on his daughter’s income.
