From the Tennis Court to the Courtroom

After completing a successful playing career with the Temple Owls, graduate assistant coach Uladzimir Dorash spent the last two years embarking on a law degree for life after tennis.

The Belarus native's seven-year journey in Philadelphia culminated last month (May) with a degree from the Temple Beasley School of Law. Currently he is studying for the bar exam.

Dorash's immediate plans include staying in the city and working for Pond Lehocky Giordano, LLP, where he will specialize in catastrophic injury in the workplace.

Dorash compared the sport of tennis to making an argument in the courtroom.

"Being in the courtroom is somewhat similar to being on the tennis court. No one will make a legal argument for you. It's all on yourself. But, at the same time, you represent people whose lives depend on the quality of your legal counsel," said Dorash. "On the court, I always felt like the more was at stake, the easier it was for me to produce tennis that I did not even know I had in me. So, it is in this sense of responsibility for others who rely on you that is identical in the practice of law."

Temple head coach Steve Mauro knows Dorash is a special person and will be able to replicate his success as an Owl to a successful law career.

"Affectionally known as Vova to us, he's been a special person to our program," said Mauro. "He's been a role model for Temple since he arrived on campus in 2014. He did great things as an undergrad but then excelled in law school. So, he's done all the right things to improve the visibility of our program.

I couldn't be happier, not just to have coached him, but I also can call him a good friend. I know he will be very successful in his law career."

Dorash reciprocated his comments about the Temple leadership, led by his former coach Mauro.

"Steve is a good, kind man who trusted me and believed in my ability starting seven years ago," commented Dorash. "He trusted me as a player in situations where others would not. He offered me a position that helped me get through law school and allowed me to be around the team for a little longer.

Coach allowed me to grow, and he helped me get to where I am right now. In my opinion, he deserves way, way more credit than he gets."

The Belarus native compared his experiences being a collegiate player to a collegiate coach where he needed to communicate with the players.

"At first, I was more nervous as a coach than a player. During a match, you feel that you can't really change a lot, except advise, and so you are nervously watching for hours. Second, as a player, you come, work as hard as you can, and you leave. As a graduate assistant, you need to communicate with many different players who respond differently to your piece of advice. It is the ability to find common ground with all the different individuals on the team and bring them all to the same page that is the most difficult and important skill a coach learns for the duration of his or her career."

Though Dorash's time on the tennis court has ended, he will always have those special memories of wearing the Cherry & White.

"The program has been on the rise during my seven years with Temple. It is amazing how much Coach Mauro was able to do with the little he had. We were able to beat Penn State, UPenn, Tulsa, SMU, and Tulane," Dorash expressed. "Two very bright moments in my memory include when I clinched a match against the University of Buffalo in the No. 1 position after being down 5-2 in the first set and when we beat the defending champions, Tulane University, at the AAC Conference Tournament."

Dorash was a major part of the program's success as he helped guide the Owls to the AAC Tournament Championship for the first time in school history during the 2019 season. The Owls won 11 straight matches that season with four against conference foes, while individually, Dorash went 20-11 overall in singles and 20-9 with a partner in doubles play. From 2016-19, he compiled a 43-25 record in dual singles play and 48-17 in dual doubles play while being named to the AAC All-Academic Team in each of his four seasons.

Temple University Athletics

From the Tennis Court to the Courtroom

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