Serena Williams shared a humorous anecdote during a recent interview on “Hot Ones.”
The 42-year-old tennis legend recounted a memorable mishap from early in her career when she attempted to deposit her first million-dollar check at a bank drive-thru.
Serena Williams’ former coach gives Ronaldo key advice during tennis court showdown
“I got my check and it was a million dollars. Like, OK, I’m gonna go deposit it,” Williams chuckled as she recalled the incident.
“I went through the drive-thru … and the guy was like, ‘Uh, I think you need to come inside for this,’ and I was like, ‘Oh, OK.'”
During the interview, Williams elaborated on her mindset during her tennis career, emphasizing her passion for the sport over financial gain.
“I never played for money,” she affirmed.
“I played ’cause I loved the sport … I wanted to win.”
The tennis icon’s dedication to the game often left her so focused on winning that financial matters sometimes took a back seat.
“My tax guy would be like, ‘You didn’t get your money?’ and I’d be like, ‘Oh, I forgot that one in Zurich,'” she explained.
Williams, who retired from professional tennis in 2022 to prioritize her family, including daughters Olympia and Adira with husband Alexis Ohanian, sees the ATM incident as a valuable lesson learned.
In addition to her reflections on her career and financial anecdotes, Williams recently took a moment to pay tribute to Andy Murray, a fellow tennis legend, who recently concluded his career at Wimbledon.
Williams expressed her admiration for Murray’s on-court demeanor and his advocacy for women in sports.
“Congratulations to you Andy Murray for such an incredible career,”Williams said in a video shared on social media.
“I have to say I’ve always enjoyed watching you. One of the main reasons because you were one of the few players who would be more angry than me on the court, which is a hard thing to do.”
She continued, “But to me it was the most exciting thing to watch and I had the pleasure of playing mixed doubles by your side, which was such a fantastic experience to do that, at Wimbledon nonetheless. It really was one of the highlights of my life.”
Williams concluded her tribute by acknowledging Murray’s advocacy for gender equality in tennis.
“I’m just so grateful that I had that experience and I also hold a special place in my heart to you because you always speak out so much for women and everything that women deserve.”
