Former Grand Slam champion scammed out of £12m by British banker, joining list of swindled celebrity victims

Retired French tennis player Henri Leconte enjoyed relative success during his stay on the ATP Tour. However, the 62-year old was left swindled out of most of his earnings after it was reported he had fallen victim to a scam by a British banker.

Over his 16 year ATP career, Leconte won 9 ATP singles titles. The Lillers native finished runner-up at the 1988 French Open, losing to two-time former champion Mats Wilander. However, Leconte did get to experience Grand Slam glory at home, winning the 1984 French Open doubles title alongside compatriot Yannick Noah.

Leconte earned over £3million during his career on the ATP Tour. The former World No.5 would retire in 1996, and occasionally appears as a commentator on television, especially during matches involving French players.

However, Leconte would lose most of his wealth after being swindled by Stephen Troth, a British banker who was later prosecuted for scamming more than 20 celebrities. Troth would admit to siphoning funds from accounts he managed at HSBC Republic during a trial in 2002.

Troth scammed numerous famous individuals while posing as their friend

Although none of the celebrities reported their money missing, Troth's operation was eventually discovered following an internal audit. Court records show that F1 legend Michael Schumacher lost more than £6m over a period of 18 months.

Furthermore, Rally driver Armin Schwarz and singer Liane Foly were among the others to lose their money to the banker, who had previously worked for Natwest and Barclays. Schwartz even agreed to loan £725,000 to Troth to complete a property deal, not knowing that £150,000 had already been deducted from his bank account.

Troth was eventually jailed for four and a half years, in addition to being fined £19,000. The former banker would shed some light on his actions during his sentencing, stating he was going through 'rough times' after his divorce three years earlier.

"[I was] buried in work with clients who became more and more demanding," said Troth. "I started taking pills. I lost touch with reality. I cracked. I allowed myself to be crushed by the pressure of a portfolio that had become too weighty to manage."

Leconte did not comment on Troth's verdict, although Schwarz would admit to being hurt by someone he thought of as a friend.