--- title: "Starodubtseva after breaking into the WTA top 50: \"It would be nice to be in the top 30 and seeded at the Slams\"" description: "After establishing herself in the WTA top 50, Yuliia Starodubtseva named the top 30 and seeded status at the Slams her main goal in an interview with Sport RBC.UA, emphasizing the role of mental growth and the disappearance of fear of top-10 opponents." date: 2026-09-16T08:22:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/starodubtseva-top-50-wta-goal-top-30-seeded-grand-slams tags: [tennis, wta, yuliya-starodubtseva, ukraine-tennis, grand-slam, top-50] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Starodubtseva after breaking into the WTA top 50: "It would be nice to be in the top 30 and seeded at the Slams" ![Starodubtseva celebrates on court after breaking into the WTA top-50](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/16/starodubtseva-top-50-wta-cel-top-30-seyaya-na-shlemah/starodubtseva-top-50-wta-cel-top-30-seyaya-na-shlemah-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - Yuliia Starodubtseva has established herself in the WTA top 50 and named the top 30 with seeded status at the Slams her main goal - The Ukrainian names mental work and psychological resilience as the key factor in her progress - After matches against Anisimova, Pegula, and Rybakina, Starodubtseva's feeling of playing against "stars" has disappeared - The breakthrough comes against the backdrop of a general rise in Ukrainian women's tennis in the world rankings Ukrainian tennis player Yuliia Starodubtseva, having established herself in the WTA top 50 of the world rankings, revealed her further ambitions on tour in an exclusive interview with Sport RBC.UA. For the 23-year-old, breaking into the top 50 of the planet's best tennis players was a logical step, but in her own words, it is only a starting point for more serious goals. She names reaching the top 30 as her main near-term benchmark, which would allow her to earn seeded status at Grand Slam tournaments and, as a result, avoid strong opponents in the early rounds. ### Priorities: health and growth, not just ranking numbers "It would be nice to be in the top 30 and seeded at the Slams. But the priorities are, first and foremost, health and a focus on the areas where I can become better," Starodubtseva emphasized. This approach reflects the maturity of an athlete who, after a breakthrough season, does not give in to euphoria but builds a clear system of development. In her words, over the course of the season she worked on every component of her game — from physical conditioning to tactical flexibility — yet it was the mental component that became the decisive factor in her progress. ### Mental transformation as the key driver Starodubtseva admitted that her psychological state was the main priority in her work throughout the season. The experience of high-level matches helped her build confidence in her own abilities, while her tennis level also grew noticeably in parallel. In her assessment, it was precisely the combination of mental resilience and technical growth that allowed her to establish herself in the tour's elite and not just break into the top 50, but to feel confident in every match. ### The disappearance of fear of the "stars" Worthy of separate attention is the change in her perception of top opponents. After matches against Amanda Anisimova, Jessica Pegula, and Elena Rybakina, Starodubtseva's attitude toward the tour's authorities changed, in her own admission. The Ukrainian revealed that the experience of recent years has taught her to approach every match the same way: she still expects a high level from top-10 representatives, but the feeling that she is stepping onto the court against a "star" has completely disappeared. This psychological shift is, in essence, a marker of the transition from the category of "playing against top players" to the category of "playing on equal terms with top players." ### Context: the breakthrough of Ukrainian women's tennis Starodubtseva's breakthrough into the top 50 comes against the backdrop of a general rise in Ukrainian women's tennis. According to the current WTA rankings, several Ukrainian athletes are simultaneously in the top 50, and earlier in history it was recorded that for the first time two Ukrainian tennis players entered the world top 10 at the same time. In this context, Starodubtseva's performance at the 2026 US Open, where she played a tense match against the world No. 2, became a vivid confirmation that Ukrainian women's tennis has firmly established itself in the world elite. The athlete herself, assessing that match, noted that after beating Rybakina in one of the previous matches she wondered whether she could repeat such a result — and the answer, judging by her current form, was affirmative. ### What's next: the path to the top 30 Starodubtseva faces a task that is both realistic and ambitious — breaking into the WTA top 30. Seeded status at Grand Slam tournaments will open up additional opportunities for her: a more comfortable draw in the early rounds, reduced psychological load, and, as a result, a chance for deeper runs in Paris, London, New York, and Melbourne. At the same time, the tennis player herself emphasizes that the path to this goal will not be built through a race for points at any cost, but through consistent work on health, mental resilience, and her tactical arsenal. For Ukrainian tennis, this means that in the coming months Starodubtseva can be expected to deliver even more confident performances on hard and clay courts, where she traditionally feels most comfortable. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [It would be nice: Starodubtseva names her next goal after breaking into the WTA rankings](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/tennis/bulo-priemno-starodubtseva-nazvala-svoyu-1789545125.html) - Основной источник — эксклюзивное интервью. Цитаты о топ-30, ментальной работе и соперницах взяты напрямую. - [Yuliia Starodubtseva: "After beating Rybakina, I wondered whether I could do it again"](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/tennis/yuliya-starodubtseva-pislya-peremogi-ribakinoyu-1789455481.html) - Основной источник — эксклюзивное интервью. Цитаты о топ-30, ментальной работе и соперницах взяты напрямую. - [The best Ukrainian tennis players in the WTA top 50 rankings have been identified](https://gazeta.ua/ru/articles/sport/_opredeleny-luchshie-ukrainskie-tennisistki-v-top50-rejtinga-wta/1258253) - Подтверждает наличие украинских теннисисток в топ-50 WTA. - [For the first time in history, two Ukrainian tennis players enter the WTA top 10](https://sport.ua/news/907141-vpervye-v-istorii-dve-ukrainskie-tennisistki-vhodyat-v-top-10-reytinga-wta) - Даёт контекст общего подъёма украинского женского тенниса. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: What is Yuliia Starodubtseva's next goal in the WTA rankings? **A:** Starodubtseva named reaching the WTA top 30 and earning seeded status at Grand Slam tournaments her main goal after establishing herself in the top 50. ### Q: In Starodubtseva's words, what became the main factor of her progress this season? **A:** The Ukrainian emphasized that the mental component played the decisive role: her psychological state was the main priority in her work throughout the season. ### Q: How did Starodubtseva's perception change after matches against top-10 opponents? **A:** After matches against Amanda Anisimova, Jessica Pegula, and Elena Rybakina, she lost the feeling that she was stepping onto the court against a "star." She learned to approach every match the same way. ### Q: Who did Starodubtseva play against at the 2026 US Open? **A:** At the 2026 US Open, Starodubtseva played a tense match against the world No. 2. The details of the specific opponent are not specified in the provided sources.