Serena Williams has recalled the moment she tried and failed to cash a $1million check from one of her early tennis wins at a drive-through ATM.
Williams, considered by many as the greatest female tennis player of all time, first competed professionally at the age of 14 and eventually joined the WTA Tour a few years later.
The eventual Hall of Famer went on to win a staggering 23 major championships in her career, the most in the Open Era, while also amassing a reported $95million in prize money along the way.
And when the first of those millions came in her early years as a WTA pro, Williams admits she tried to deposit her winnings check at the drive-through of a local bank – albeit unsuccessfully.
She said during an appearance on Hot Ones: ‘I got my check and it was a million dollars, and I was like “ok, I’m gonna go deposit it.”
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‘I’d never really spent a lot of money, I was so serious. I don’t know what happened to me, I used to be serious.
‘So I went to the drive-through and the guy was like, “Uh… I think you need to come inside for this.” And I was like, “oh ok!”‘
Despite collecting winners’ check after winners’ check throughout her illustrious career, Williams insists she was never motivated by money as a player.
So much so, in fact, that she often forgot about various prize funds she won on the court.
‘I never played for money, I played ’cause I loved the sport,’ the tennis legend added. ‘I don’t even know if I wanted to play to be the best, I wanted to win.
‘So my tax guy, he would be like, “You didn’t get your money?” And I’d be like, “Oh, I didn’t get that one in Zurich. Oh, I forgot that one in Moscow.”
‘I was just playing to win, and if I didn’t win, I wasn’t thinking. I was just so angry, that I wanted to find a way to get better and win the next time.’
Williams is the only player in tennis history to accomplish a career Golden Slam – winning all four majors in the same calendar year – in both single and doubles.
The 42-year-old is still understood to be worth an eye-watering $300m two years after bringing the curtain down on her legendary career.