NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Through a gift from Rob Pohly '94 and Julie Turaj '93, the men's tennis assistant coach position will be endowed and named the Alex Dorato Assistant Coach of Men's Tennis.
 
Pohly, a four-year letterwinner for the Bulldogs, was the 1991 EITA Rookie of the Year and earned first team All-Ivy recognition in singles in 1993. In addition, he was selected as the winner of Yale's prestigious Francis Gordon Brown Prize, given to the junior who most closely approaches the standard of good scholarship and sportsmanship set by Francis Gordon Brown.
 
"The decision to honor Alex Dorato was an easy one for me," said Pohly, who with his wife Julie Turaj have been long-time supporters of Yale Tennis. "Alex was actually the assistant coach my freshman year before being named head coach. He is a mentor and friend to so many Yale tennis players. He cares deeply about the program and the many student athletes who played during his 34 years of service to Yale. Even after passing the torch onto Coach Drake, you can still find Alex as an enthusiastic spectator at all of Yale's home matches. I love that."
 
Dorato served as associate head coach of the men's team and assistant coach for the women's squad from 1986 to 1992 before taking over the men's team in 1993. In his first year as head coach, Dorato's team won an Eastern Intercollegiate Tennis Association (EITA) co-championship and set the team's record for most wins in a season. His 2001 team tied the school record for most wins, while his 2002 team advanced to Yale's first ECAC Team Championship final since 1977.
 
Dorato earned the 2011 USTA New England Joseph Deitz Bowl (given to the Tennis Professional who has done the most for tennis in New England), the 2009 and 2010 USTA/ITA Campus & Community Outreach Award/New England Section, the 2005 U.S.P.T.A. New England Western Pro of the Year, the 2001 Wilson/ITA Region I Coach of the Year and the 2001 U.S.P.T.A. New England Jack Barnaby College Coach of the Year.
 
"I am so grateful to Rob and Julie for their generous support of our tennis program," said Victoria M. "Vicky" Chun, Thomas A. Beckett Director of Athletics. "As he was to Rob, Alex Dorato was a tremendous teacher and mentor to our student-athletes during his more than 30 years at Yale. Alex also worked tirelessly to promote the game of tennis to the Yale and New Haven community."
 
Added Dorato, "I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to Rob and Julie for their exceptionally generous support of Yale tennis and for endowing the Assistant Coach of Men's Tennis position in my name.  My first seven years at Yale I served as the assistant coach. Working with bright, talented, and principled Yale student-athletes, such as Rob, inspired me to want to spend my whole career there.  I cannot find the words to express how much it means to me after 34 years with Yale Tennis to have my name permanently associated with one of the oldest and most distinguished programs in the country."
 
The Bulldogs are currently led by Chris Drake, Cary Leeds Head Coach of Men's Tennis, and are assisted by Eduardo Ugalde, Alex Dorato Assistant Coach of Men's Tennis. Ugalde joined Drake's staff in the Summer of 2021.
 
The future is bright for the Yale men's tennis program. Drake and Ugalde guided the Bulldogs to 10 wins in 2021-22 and lose only one senior to graduation.