Serena Williams Tried to Deposit $1 Million Via Bank Drive-Thru Early in Pro Career

Patrick Andres | Jul 12, 2024

Jul 21, 2023; Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA; Serena Williams looks on before the match between Inter Miami CF and Cruz Azul at DRV PNK Stadium. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

By leaps and bounds, Serena Williams is the most financially successful player in the history of women's tennis. Her $95 million in career winnings is more than double that of the player in second place on the WTA's all-time money list—her sister Venus Williams with $43 million.

However, as with any truly great athlete, Williams was driven by more than monetary gain. Her intangible drive for greatness propelled her to 23 major championships—the second-most in history.

On Thursday's edition of Hot Ones, Williams discussed how little she cared about money early in her professional career—and her cavalier attitude's humorous results.

"Is it true that you rarely collected your winnings your first year on tour, and tried once unsuccessfully to cash your first million-dollar check at a drive-thru ATM?" host Sean Evans asked.

"Those are all true," Williams chuckled. "I never played for money. I played because I loved the sport. I wanted to be the best. I wanted to win."

That resulted in immortality for Williams, and headaches for her accountant.

"My tax guy, he'd be like, 'You didn't get your money.' I'd be like, 'Oh, I didn't get that one in Zurich,' or 'Oh, I forgot that one in Moscow.' I was just playing to win," Williams said.

Upon winning her first million dollars, Williams simply drove to a bank and asked to deposit it.

"The guy was like, 'Uh, I think you need to come inside for this,'" she said. "I was like, 'Uh, OK.'"

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