Last Year, Best Year
March 16, 2023 | Men's Tennis
ATHENS, Ga. – Redshirt senior Britton Johnston started playing tennis nearly 15 years ago, but perhaps the most pivotal moment of his tennis career came at the end of the 2021-2022 season.
That is when Johnston was faced with the decision of whether he should return for a fifth year with the University of Georgia men's tennis team.
As it came time to make his choice, Johnston thought about the guys who started at Georgia at the same time as him, his longtime teammates and roommates, Blake Croyder, Trent Bryde, and Philip Henning. The three other seniors were also grappling with the question of returning for a redshirt senior year.
"None of us really sat down together to talk about it formally," Johnston explained. "We all live together so it's kind of like a living room topic. Like, 'We are coming back right?' and then everyone was like 'Yeah.'"
Together, the four seniors elected to return for a redshirt senior year.
Five years ago, as a high school senior in the fall of 2017, Johnston weighed a similar question when considering if he should commit to the University of Georgia to play collegiate tennis.
Although Johnston, a Georgia native who grew up in Snellville, had a successful career as a junior tennis player, when it came time to decide what collegiate program Johnston would play for, the University of Georgia didn't seem like an option at first.
But after a breakout season the summer before his senior year of high school, Johnston rose to a blue-chip recruit, ranked second in the south and 16th nationally. This increase in rank propelled him to gain attention from major college tennis programs, including the Bulldogs.
Johnston knew of the esteemed history and reputation of the Georgia men's tennis program, but when imagining his future in tennis, Johnston hadn't pictured himself sporting red and black on the court.
That all changed when he took his official visit to Georgia. After meeting the coaches, touring the Bulldogs' facilities, and experiencing the atmosphere of Athens, Johnston explained that it was an easy decision for him to sign his national letter of intent to Georgia.
Five years later and, despite facing unforeseeable challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic which struck during the spring of Johnston's sophomore season, he has no regrets about his initial decision to commit to Georgia. In fact, Johnston is confident that if faced with the decision of if he should play collegiate tennis at Georgia again, he would. And, last spring, he did exactly that by making the choice to come back and play for the Bulldogs for a final year.
Like many other student-athletes across the country who lost portions of their collegiate athletic careers due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the time spent quarantining rather than on the court was a contributing factor in Johnston's decision to return for a redshirt senior season.
Returning to the team has given Johnston the opportunity to end his final season in Athens and his time playing collegiate tennis on a high note and has changed his mindset when it comes to competing.
"Knowing that I won't do it again, means to just leave it all out there," Johnston said. "Especially in matches, I feel like that's where the biggest difference is for me. There's a lot less to worry about because we don't have a next year so [we] just leave it all out there. [There's] a sense of freedom. We get to use that to our advantage during matches."
So far this season, Johnston has found success utilizing that mentality, especially when it comes to competing in doubles with one of the other three returning redshirt seniors, Croyder.
Johnston credits this triumph largely to the relationship between himself and Croyder, who have known each other for over 10 years and have developed a strong friendship in their time playing for Georgia together. The Bulldog pair now look to compete for the Bulldogs in the NCAA Men's Doubles Tournament once again this season.
"To make the tournament [with Blake], that would be great," Johnston said. "I've never been the star player for my team, sometimes barely playing at all, but this year, getting to play every match and doing well, I'm confident in myself. I'm glad I got [the opportunity] and I'm glad I'm taking advantage of it, but it's notguaranteed. We're going to work for it. But just that opportunity would be really cool to end our last year like that."
As the pair head into Southeastern Conference play, Johnston is focused on keeping a competitive edge regardless of the opponent. In an elite pool of competitors, such as in the SEC, no matter the court, every match is a battle and every team is bringing their fiercest challengers.
The start of conference play also signifies the halfway mark of the spring collegiate tennis season and Johnston's time with the Bulldogs beginning to come to an end. With this reality in mind, Johnston and the other three redshirt seniors are working to pass on the knowledge they have gained through their years of experience to the younger players on the team.
"We're working with the younger guys and trying to instill in them the values and the strengths we carry,"Johnston said. "This program is so important. It's been a staple of college tennis forever. We're trying to carry that on and it's got to be from the [younger players.]"
As he prepares to say goodbye to Athens and the Georgia men's tennis team at the end of the season, Johnston is confident that the program will continue to succeed and set the standard in men's collegiate tennis.
"It doesn't matter if it's three years, five years, or 10 years, I know UGA Tennis will be as good as it is now and will continue to get better," Johnston said. "It's been a long journey and I owe a lot to tennis but I'm ready for the next chapter. I know I'll still be with the university and with these teammates for a very long time."
That is when Johnston was faced with the decision of whether he should return for a fifth year with the University of Georgia men's tennis team.
As it came time to make his choice, Johnston thought about the guys who started at Georgia at the same time as him, his longtime teammates and roommates, Blake Croyder, Trent Bryde, and Philip Henning. The three other seniors were also grappling with the question of returning for a redshirt senior year.
"None of us really sat down together to talk about it formally," Johnston explained. "We all live together so it's kind of like a living room topic. Like, 'We are coming back right?' and then everyone was like 'Yeah.'"
Together, the four seniors elected to return for a redshirt senior year.
Five years ago, as a high school senior in the fall of 2017, Johnston weighed a similar question when considering if he should commit to the University of Georgia to play collegiate tennis.
Although Johnston, a Georgia native who grew up in Snellville, had a successful career as a junior tennis player, when it came time to decide what collegiate program Johnston would play for, the University of Georgia didn't seem like an option at first.
But after a breakout season the summer before his senior year of high school, Johnston rose to a blue-chip recruit, ranked second in the south and 16th nationally. This increase in rank propelled him to gain attention from major college tennis programs, including the Bulldogs.
Johnston knew of the esteemed history and reputation of the Georgia men's tennis program, but when imagining his future in tennis, Johnston hadn't pictured himself sporting red and black on the court.
That all changed when he took his official visit to Georgia. After meeting the coaches, touring the Bulldogs' facilities, and experiencing the atmosphere of Athens, Johnston explained that it was an easy decision for him to sign his national letter of intent to Georgia.
Five years later and, despite facing unforeseeable challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic which struck during the spring of Johnston's sophomore season, he has no regrets about his initial decision to commit to Georgia. In fact, Johnston is confident that if faced with the decision of if he should play collegiate tennis at Georgia again, he would. And, last spring, he did exactly that by making the choice to come back and play for the Bulldogs for a final year.
Like many other student-athletes across the country who lost portions of their collegiate athletic careers due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the time spent quarantining rather than on the court was a contributing factor in Johnston's decision to return for a redshirt senior season.
Returning to the team has given Johnston the opportunity to end his final season in Athens and his time playing collegiate tennis on a high note and has changed his mindset when it comes to competing.
"Knowing that I won't do it again, means to just leave it all out there," Johnston said. "Especially in matches, I feel like that's where the biggest difference is for me. There's a lot less to worry about because we don't have a next year so [we] just leave it all out there. [There's] a sense of freedom. We get to use that to our advantage during matches."
So far this season, Johnston has found success utilizing that mentality, especially when it comes to competing in doubles with one of the other three returning redshirt seniors, Croyder.
Johnston credits this triumph largely to the relationship between himself and Croyder, who have known each other for over 10 years and have developed a strong friendship in their time playing for Georgia together. The Bulldog pair now look to compete for the Bulldogs in the NCAA Men's Doubles Tournament once again this season.
"To make the tournament [with Blake], that would be great," Johnston said. "I've never been the star player for my team, sometimes barely playing at all, but this year, getting to play every match and doing well, I'm confident in myself. I'm glad I got [the opportunity] and I'm glad I'm taking advantage of it, but it's notguaranteed. We're going to work for it. But just that opportunity would be really cool to end our last year like that."
As the pair head into Southeastern Conference play, Johnston is focused on keeping a competitive edge regardless of the opponent. In an elite pool of competitors, such as in the SEC, no matter the court, every match is a battle and every team is bringing their fiercest challengers.
The start of conference play also signifies the halfway mark of the spring collegiate tennis season and Johnston's time with the Bulldogs beginning to come to an end. With this reality in mind, Johnston and the other three redshirt seniors are working to pass on the knowledge they have gained through their years of experience to the younger players on the team.
"We're working with the younger guys and trying to instill in them the values and the strengths we carry,"Johnston said. "This program is so important. It's been a staple of college tennis forever. We're trying to carry that on and it's got to be from the [younger players.]"
As he prepares to say goodbye to Athens and the Georgia men's tennis team at the end of the season, Johnston is confident that the program will continue to succeed and set the standard in men's collegiate tennis.
"It doesn't matter if it's three years, five years, or 10 years, I know UGA Tennis will be as good as it is now and will continue to get better," Johnston said. "It's been a long journey and I owe a lot to tennis but I'm ready for the next chapter. I know I'll still be with the university and with these teammates for a very long time."
Players Mentioned
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