Ukrainian tennis player Yuliia Starodubtseva spoke openly in an exclusive interview with Sport RBC.UA about her personal experiences related to the war and her inability to return to her hometown. The athlete, who has been in breakthrough form on the WTA world tour in recent months, admitted that she has not been in her city since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022 and does not currently plan to travel to Ukraine for precisely this reason. Her words became one of the most emotional statements by Ukrainian athletes about the impact of the fighting on private life.
Emotions on court amid strikes on infrastructure
Starodubtseva shared what she feels when stepping onto the court against the backdrop of news about the latest massive Russian strikes on civilian objects and Ukraine's infrastructure. According to her, the reaction to such events is the same for “every normal Ukrainian,” and she is no exception. “This is disgusting and tragic,” the tennis player emphasized, noting that her professional obligations do not switch off her human reaction to what is happening in the country. Thus, for the athlete, a match on the WTA tour is inseparable from awareness of what is happening at home, and, by her own admission, this adds an emotional burden to an already tight competitive schedule.
Hometown under temporary occupation
Starodubtseva called the inability to get to her hometown her greatest personal pain. Her hometown, Kakhovka, remains under temporary occupation, which makes a return there impossible at this time. “I have not been home since 2022 and I am not planning to go to Ukraine yet, because I cannot come to my hometown. But if the question is whether I would like to at least visit Ukraine as a vacation, then the answer is yes, very much,” the tennis player said. It is important that she links her refusal to travel not with an unwillingness to see relatives or acquaintances, but solely with the fact that her hometown is inaccessible, and therefore a visit would not be complete.
Competitive schedule, love for the country, and Ukrainian cuisine
At the moment, according to the athlete, a tight competitive schedule also prevents her from visiting Ukraine, leaving no free time for trips. At the same time, Starodubtseva emphasized that she loves the country, its people, and Ukrainian culture, which she actively seeks out away from home. Cuisine occupied a special place in her remarks: “I look for our cuisine all over the world, because even after everything I have tried, I can confidently say that Ukrainian cuisine is the best in the world. Even my Australian boyfriend agrees,” the tennis player noted. These words underscore that, despite the physical distance, her cultural and emotional connection to Ukraine remains one of the key ones for her.
Context: breakthrough in the WTA ranking and victory over Rybakina
Starodubtseva's remarks came against the backdrop of her sporting rise: it was previously reported that the Ukrainian named her next goal after her breakthrough in the WTA ranking. Among her recent notable results is a victory over Elena Rybakina, after which, as the athlete herself recalled, she doubted whether she could repeat such a level of play. Thus, the personal story of being unable to return to occupied Kakhovka and her professional growth on the world tour combine into a single portrait of a Ukrainian tennis player for whom sport and patriotism are inseparable. Full details of the interview and background are available in the materials of Sport RBC.UA.
