$290 million worth Serena Williams admits she ‘never’ played tennis for money

The American retired from the sport in 2022 with 23 Grand Slam singles titles to her name.

$290 million worth Serena Williams admits she ‘never’ played tennis for money

Serena Williams (via Imago)

Serena Williams is among the richest athletes in the world and continues to earn millions even after her retirement. The tennis ace, who has close to $300 million in net worth, has now claimed that she never played the sport for the prize money.

While the American won a lot of titles and became arguably the best tennis player in the world, the prize money that came along helped make her very wealthy. In all, she won $95 million in prize money during her career.

In a recent interview on the First We Feat show, Williams claimed that she never played for money. She said that she even forgot about the prize money whenever she lost and had to be reminded to collect it. She also recalled the time she tried to encash a $1 million cheque at a drive-thru ATM.

I never played for money. I played because I loved the sport. I wanted to be the best. I wanted to win. I didn't even know at the time if I wanted to be the best. I just wanted to win. So, my tax guy, he would be like, 'You didn't get your money,' and I would be like, 'Oh, I didn't get that one in Zurich, I forgot that one in Moscow.' I was just playing to win, and if I didn't win, I was just not thinking.
Serena Williams said to Sean Evans.

Serena Williams talks about the forced press conferences players have to sit through

Serena Williams was in her zone while speaking with the host Sean Evans. Not only did she handle the hot wings with ease, she also answered every question with finesse. The 42-year-old gave a very honest answer when asked about the press conferences that players have to sit through after matches.

Serena Williams
Serena Williams (via Imago)

The 23-time Grand Slam champion said that while she wanted to speak what came to her mind at the press meets, she could not do that, which she found frustrating.

The things you want to say, that automatically pop up in your mind … you can't say that. 'You won 6-0, 6-0, how do you think your opponent played?' 'She played terrible, or else I wouldn't have won 0 and 0! But you can't say that. 'Oh, well, she played great; I just happened to be on today.' No, I was way better than her today!
Serena Williams said

Williams also talked about her grunts, stating that she found Monica Seles’ grunt “really cool” and thus ended up copying her mannerisms.

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