Serena Williams says she 'misses tennis like crazy' (Exclusive)

• Serena Williams has new goals, two years after leaving professional tennis
• In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, the mother of two shares that she wants to run a half marathon next year
• Williams, who works with blood glucose monitor Lingo, also says she has become even more “obsessed” with her diet and exercise.

Serena Williams is on a health journey that includes wearing an infamous denim skirt and running a half marathon!

The 23-time Grand Slam champion tells PEOPLE in an exclusive interview that she plans to run the race in late 2025 as she aims to get even fitter two years after she retired from tennis.

I've become obsessed, more obsessed, I think, with diet and exercise than when I was playing tennis, Williams, 43, tells PEOPLE as she talks about her new partnership with Lingo, a continuous glucose monitor from Abbott. I knew I would burn 20,000 calories a day, and now I'm thinking, Oh my god, I don't know how many calories I'll be able to burn!

Understandably, the busy mom of daughters Olympia, 7, and Adira, 15 months, whom she shares with her husband of seven years Alexis Ohanian, is focused these days on managing her health and combating her natural tendency to view everything as a competition. to see.

Look at me, Williams tells PEOPLE. I'm trying to compete, not compete, reframe trying to run a half marathon. That's my new goal. So it's like I have to do something competitive. I miss tennis like crazy.

She continues: But as a woman I had to make different choices that I probably wouldn't have had to make if I were a man, but that's okay, I like that. I love that I chose my family and I want to be with them every day of my life. And I'm trying to do that, and I think I want to be the GOAT in something else. And for me that is now being a mother.

Along with her little girls, Williams also makes it a priority to invest in female entrepreneurs, through Serena Ventures, the venture capital fund she founded in 2017.

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In the new campaign with Lingo, Serena and Alexis, 41, share adorable and very relatable moments from their lives as they talk about the food they like and the impact it has on their bodies.

In placesdone in how Serena jokes The newlywed game show, the two remember (and eat) what they had for their first date in Paris (roasted chicken and fries), their favorite things to enjoy with their daughters over weekend breakfast (“Dad” pancakes), and Serena's favorite savory and sweet late-night cheat foods (spicy instant ramen and gelato). All the while, their glucose is monitored by the wearable technology.

I learned that I was a superhuman and a superhero, she laughs, and that her readings didn't spike as much as Alexis. It didn't affect me that much, but it still affected me. At one point you saw my level rise, that's why I always try to eat healthy. I'm all for a healthy lifestyle.

To that end, the tennis icon is starting to come to terms with what exactly that means for her at this point in her life.

The more I don't work out professionally, the more I think, okay, this is what I've literally been doing my whole life, and how can I optimize it and keep it going? As a mother, my main goal is to be healthy for my children and I have young children and I need to be able to run for them and do all those things, she tells PEOPLE.

As for the aforementioned denim skirt, a form-fitting, long denim number, she hasn't been shy about her desire to fit the item into a hilarious ordeal she captured on Instagram.

Sharing such behind-the-scenes moments is nothing new for Williams, who says she enjoys her platform.

Athletes and musicians, I feel like sometimes we think we're untouchable and that's just not true, she tells PEOPLE. “I literally don't see myself any differently than anyone else. And I like to try to post relatable content. And I don't do it on purpose, it's just who I am. I have the same problems fitting in. These damn skirts and I want too tracking my health level. And I just think it's so cool for people to see that, especially for me growing up in Compton.

Williams adds: It's like someone else is watching, know that. Knowing that I am no different than you. I'm literally the same. And you're probably smarter and better than me. And that's something I always like to preach or show.