Josiah Brittenham is accustomed to solitude on the tennis court. He’s played at the No. 1 singles spot for Frederick High School’s program the past two seasons.
It’s part of the game’s beauty, champions of the sport will tell you. And yet it’s a contrast to everything the Golden Eagles senior is about.
Make no mistake, Brittenham’s game flourished in 2025. He conquered the aching feeling of not qualifying for the Class 4A state tournament as a junior, then took it a step farther with a first-round victory in Pueblo.
But beyond that, Frederick coach Jami Revielle beamed about something different when talking about her ace. Some of his younger teammates probably do, too.
“Josiah is a great teacher and a great coach,” Revielle explained. “This year, we had 11 freshmen on our team who had never played. And so when parents were calling me about the high school season, they’re like they haven’t had lessons. So Josiah actually made some money last summer by giving private lessons to a couple of our kids. And these freshman boys adored Josiah.”
When Brittenham plays, he’s as competitive as any, his coach vowed. It just looks different behind a demeanor on the court that is more compassionate than charged.
How’s this for tennis etiquette? During the season, Revielle said Brittenham would get upset if someone cheered about a mistake from his opponent. He would call his coach over after hearing it and made sure it stopped.
“He’s like, ‘Coach, you got to tell them not to clap,'” Revielle said with a laugh. “‘They can’t clap at that.'”
It’s just one of several examples of Brittenham’s “kind game,” as labeled by his coach.
When facing an opponent he clearly overmatched this season, Revielle said her ace played to win but never to embarrass. She said he’d dial down his big serve and even pull up on some kill attempts.
“He could have finished some matches in like 15 minutes, but he extended it so that the other kid could get in some more practice,” Revielle said.
But while opposing parents and coaches often commended the ace’s rare sportsmanship after a match, they likely also did so in defeat.
Brittenham won just about every match he played during the fall.
A year after missing out on the state tournament, he clinched a spot by winning the 4A Region 5 championship at 1 singles.
At 4A state, he beat Steamboat Springs’ Ibrokhim Nuriddinov in straight sets in the opening round before falling to eventual champ Nithesh Karuppasamy in the quarterfinals. In playbacks, he won two more matches to place fourth.
“Obviously, I improved my skills, but what improved the most was definitely my mental game this season,” Brittenham said. “Learning how to win those tough matches and points.”
For now, Brittenham hasn’t ruled out playing in college but said he is planning on taking a gap year.
Today, he is currently taking courses to become a USTA certified coach while teaching a few youngsters on the side.
“We have a lot of coaches in my family, and I’ve always liked it,” he said. “And I just enjoy the game so much and want to teach others and want to teach the youth the game.”
