‘You Need to Come Inside for This’: Serena Williams Says She Tried to Deposit a $1 Million Check in a Bank Drive Thru

Tennis champion Serena Williams has been managing her own finances since she was just 16. Her father and former coach aimed to instill a sense of financial responsibility early on by entrusting her with range over her money. PASADENA, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 25: Serena Williams arrives to the 54th Annual NAACP Image Awards at Pasadena Civic Auditorium on February 25, 2023 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images) But, according to a new interview with the seven-time Wimbledon champion, the purse didn’t always drive the young athlete. The tiger-eyed Compton native is a competitor at her core and admitted that her primary focus has always been on winning matches rather than securing the substantial, often seven-figure, prize money. Banking Lessons Williams appeared as a guest on the hit Complex YouTube show “Hot Ones” hosted by Sean Evan and dished on her sometimes-irreverent attitude about money while chomping down on Scoville escalating hot wings. She recounted the time she tried to deposit a $1 million check in a bank drive-thru. Evans asked her, “Is it true that you rarely collected your winnings your first year on tour and then once tried unsuccessfully to cash your first million-dollar check in...