When the war forced her to leave Ukraine, Sofia Zrazhevska fled to Poland, a decision that has shaped the future of her squash career.
In 2022, when Zrazhevska was just 15-years-old, her mother made the life-changing decision to escape the Russian invasion with her daughters and left Ukraine.
What began as an attempt to find safety soon altered the course of Sofia’s life, recalling the journey, she told the Deccan Chronicle: “The war started on February 24, 2022, within two weeks, my mum, my little sister and I knew we had to leave.
“We started on March 6. The train from Dnipropetrovsk to Lviv (the border town) took more than 16 hours. So many people had no seats and they stood for hours.”
Eventually reaching Lviv, Zrazhevska and her family then had to take a long bus journey to the border, she said: “We waited and waited as you could only cross on foot. When we finally stepped onto Polish soil, it was 4.am.”
Despite fleeing Ukraine, life hasn’t been easy for the young squash player, Zrazhevska’s parents separated when she was five and grew up with her mother while her father remained in Kyiv, where he is serving compulsory military service like many Ukrainian men.
She added: “The trauma of leaving home at 15, it still haunts me. I go to therapy regularly and it helps.”
Now living alone in Warsaw, the 19-year-old has decided to remain in Poland while her mother returned to Ukraine to work in finance. She said: “I meet my mum twice a year. I haven’t seen my sister in over two years, she’s 14 now and an aspiring hip-hop dancer.”
And despite the pain of not seeing her family, and moving away from her life in Ukraine, Zrazhevska shared how it has allowed her squash career to flourish, and has led to her becoming a European champion in the junior category.
She continued: “They found me a place to stay with a coach, and I trained at the academy. Life in Poland is good, it took time, but now I feel at home. I’m proud to call myself a Polish player.
The 19-year-old added: “If I had stayed in Ukraine, I couldn’t have improved in squash the way I wanted. Even without the war, I think moving was the right choice. There is a limit to how far you can grow in Ukraine, especially in the current scenario.
“Ukrainians still message me saying they are proud of what I do, even though I represent Poland now,” she continued.
Representing Poland at the SDAT Squash World Cup, she was able to continue developing as player, having the opportunity to play against World No.33 Aifa Azman of day two of the tournament.
Although she lost 3-0, the 19-year-old was able to share the court and have an unforgettable opportunity of learning and playing with one of the best in the world.
And with Sofia Zrazhevska now living in Poland for more than a year, she will be able to have similar opportunities, as she is eligible to represent the country at World Squash events, as well as on the PSA tour, something she is determined to pursue in the next year.
She added: “The only event I couldn’t play was the World Games because they follow the Olympic rules. But now we have an Olympic project in Poland, so we’re trying to get a Polish passport. They’re said I will get it in the second half of 2026.”
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