Serena Williams shared a relatively relatable moment during her latest “Hot Ones” appearance. During the Thursday, July 4. episode of the famous series, the 42-year-old former tennis player revealed a hilarious slip-up she had while visiting a local ATM, as she tried to deposit a gigantic check that she earned from playing tennis.
“I never played for money,” Serena pointed out. “I played ’cause I loved the sport … I don’t even know if I wanted to play to be the best, I wanted to win.”
The check contained her first $1 million, but the 23-Grand Slam title winner noted that she “never really spent a lot of money” before she became a big-league athlete.
“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,’” Serena explained. “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.”
Upon receiving her first million-dollar payment, Serena recalled thinking, “OK, I’m gonna go deposit it.”
“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,’” she added.
The Serena Ventures founder — who shares daughters Olympia and Adira with husband Alexis Ohanian — formally retired from tennis in 2022. That year, she opened to Vogue about her decision to leave the sport.
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Serena Williams shared a relatively relatable moment during her latest “Hot Ones” appearance. During the Thursday, July 4. episode of the famous series, the 42-year-old former tennis player revealed a hilarious slip-up she had while visiting a local ATM, as she tried to deposit a gigantic check that she earned from playing tennis.
“I never played for money,” Serena pointed out. “I played ’cause I loved the sport … I don’t even know if I wanted to play to be the best, I wanted to win.”
The check contained her first $1 million, but the 23-Grand Slam title winner noted that she “never really spent a lot of money” before she became a big-league athlete.
“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,’” Serena explained. “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.”
Upon receiving her first million-dollar payment, Serena recalled thinking, “OK, I’m gonna go deposit it.”
“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,’” she added.
The Serena Ventures founder — who shares daughters Olympia and Adira with husband Alexis Ohanian — formally retired from tennis in 2022. That year, she opened to Vogue about her decision to leave the sport.
