Serena Williams Admits To Attempting To Deposit Her First $1M Tennis Winnings At An ATM

You live and you learn....

Grand Slam champion Serena Williams learned an interesting lesson in finances early in her career — you can’t deposit $1 million at an ATM.

During a recent episode of the Hot Ones show, Williams stopped by to promote her new ESPN+ multipart series, “In the Arena: Serena Williams.” While nibbling on hot wings, the highly decorated athlete revealed a secret that she once attempted to deposit a large sum of tennis winnings in a drive-thru ATM. “I never really spent a lot of money,” Williams said. “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.’ “

When host Sean Evans asked her if it was true that she rarely collected her winnings while on her first tour, Williams touched on never playing the game for money but more so for her love of the sport. “I don’t even know if I wanted to play to be the best; I wanted to win,” she said.

“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 forget 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.”

The new docuseries documents her legendary career, including her iconic transition into being fashion-forward on the court. The series will also cover her journey into being a mom of two daughters, Adira, 10 months, and Olympia, 6, and her ability to satisfy her competitive appetite as a mom. “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 things at her school. I literally show up.”

According to People, Williams retired from tennis in September 2022 to focus more on family and outside endeavors such as her beauty brand, Wyn, and venture capital fund, Serena Ventures. In April 2024, Williams gave fans an inside look at what the company has been up to—investing in 14 unicorn companies in the early stages of development that will reach a valuation of $1 billion or more.

She has also been in her hosting bag as she is scheduled to host the 2024 Espy Awards on July 11, just one day after her series premieres. Being only the fourth woman to host the award show and a recipient of 12 ESPYs, Williams called the opportunity a “dream come true.” “This is a dream come true for me and something I’ve wanted to do for as long as I can remember,” she said in a statement.