While recently appearing on Hot Ones, Serena Williams recalled a time when she attempted to cash a $1,000,000 check at a bank drive-thru. Unaware that she’d have to go inside to handle such a big payout, she blamed it on not being used to playing tennis for money.

“I got my check, and it was a million dollars. Like, okay, I’m gonna go deposit it,” she recalled. “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, okay.'”

The 23-time Grand Slam champ never really tracked her earnings early-on in her career because her focus was mainly on tennis and becoming a better athlete. “I never played for money, I played ’cause I loved the sport. I wanted to be the best. I wanted to win,” she said.

Further recalling her lack of concern for money back then, she added, “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 admitted that her first million dollar check was one of her biggest lessons learned.

See below.

The 42-year-old’s recollection comes after she sort of hinted at returning to tennis on social media. In May 21, Williams cryptically wrote, “I’m ready to hit some balls again,” on X, causing fans to raise eyebrows.

The viral message came two years after she revealed that she was “evolving” from tennis, rather than retiring.

In an as-told-to with Vogue, Williams expressed that she wanted to focus on other endeavors in her personal life like family and her venture capital firm.

“I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me,” she shared at the time. “I have to focus on being a mom, my spiritual goals, and finally discovering a different, but just exciting Serena. I’m gonna relish these next few weeks.”

Since her “evolvement,” Williams has done all that she said she would and more, including welcoming her second daughter with her husband and launching her own makeup line called Wyn Beauty.

Additionally, this Thursday (July 11) Williams will be hosting the 2024 ESPY Awards.

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