Sanchez-Vicario 'broke'

The former world number one makes the claims in an explosive new memoir entitled "Arantxa, Vamos! Memoirs of a struggle, a life and a woman."

The Spaniard won three French Open titles, one US Open, and twice reached the final of both the Australian Open and Wimbledon during a career that reached its peak in the mid-nineties when she topped the world rankings.

She earned close to £10.7m in prize money during her career with her endorsements estimated to have been more than double that amount, leaving her with a fortune of around £38 million, but she now concedes that she is struggling to pay off tax debts to the Spanish authorities.

"My parents made me suffer a lot,” she told Spanish magazine La Otra Conica.

"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."

Sanchez also said that she longer talks to her parents or her brothers Emilio and Javier who are both former players.

Sanchez's mother has since come out and spoken of her pain at the accusations, writing in Spanish newspaper El Mundo, Marisa Vicario Rubio said: " Our daughter Arantxa had gone a step further in her desire to hurt us and humiliate us.

"As we read the article that was published we sunk deeper and deeper into despair, not because of all the lies in it, which came one after another, but more because we realised the actual state of our daughter.

"For 20 years, we put everything aside and forfeited our lives and our marriage for her career.

"I personally escorted her from a very young age to every tournament, leaving my husband and my other children behind.

"Then my husband Emilio quit his job to accompany her and help her.

"We tried to do the best we could. Clearly we failed her…we are accused of leaving her in ruins with the type of a grudge and resentment worthy of your worst enemy."