Serena Williams learned an important banking lesson early in her career. The tennis legend, 42, shared a memorable story on the latest episode of Hot Ones about trying to deposit her first $1 million in tennis winnings at a drive-thru ATM.
“I never played for money,” Williams said when host Sean Evans asked about the incident. “I played because I loved the sport. I don’t even know if I wanted to play to be the best; I just wanted to win.”
She continued, “My tax guy would ask, ‘You didn’t get your money?’ and I’d be like, ‘Oh, I didn’t get that one in Zurich,’ or ‘I forgot that one in Moscow.’ I was just playing to win, and if I didn’t win, I wasn’t thinking about the money. I was just so angry, and I wanted to get better and win the next time.”
Recalling her first large paycheck, Williams said, “I never really spent a lot of money. 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.'”
Williams, who shares daughters Adira, 10 months, and Olympia, 6½, with her husband Alexis Ohanian, retired from tennis in September 2022. While chatting with PEOPLE at the Tribeca Film Festival about her new docuseries In the Arena: Serena Williams, she opened up about her life as a parent and how she satisfies her competitive drive.
“You don’t and I can’t. I have to be the best mom,” she said. “I have to go to all of Olympia’s events at her school. I literally show up.”
Williams also mentioned that her beauty brand, Wyn, keeps her motivated. “I invest in women. I invest in people of color, and that is very competitive,” she stated.
In the Arena: Serena Williams is available to stream starting July 10 on ESPN+.
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