Love of tennis & family drives Josh Adamson to pair of junior international tennis tournament titles

By Anfal Hanif

One tournament done. Another tournament, and another airport, already waiting.

For Ottawa’s Josh Adamson, that’s the regular rhythm this year, as he embraces new places, new courts, unfamiliar opponents and the chance to see how his game holds up against the best junior tennis players in the world.

On several shining occasions, his efforts have produced World Tennis junior tournament titles. On others, it’s been a trip to a different continent to play and lose one match.

It’s all a long way from where it began.

Adamson first picked up a racquet at four years old, hitting with his dad Jonathan and older brother Will. Tennis was one of several sports in his childhood, alongside hockey and soccer.

Those early family sessions were never designed to produce a highly-ranked junior star, even though Adamson’s father is a highly experienced coach of 30+ years who runs Adamson’s Tennis Academy in Kanata.

They were simply spending time together. Twelve years later, those same family hits have become the foundation for an international career.

“I’ve always played with my dad and my brother since I was a kid and I still do now,” highlights Josh, who is Canada’s top-ranked 2009-born men’s player.

Josh was never rushed into junior competition. The early focus was on technique, repetition and learning to enjoy the game.

“There was a lot more drilling and just sort of redundant stuff,” recalls Jonathan.

It was less about formal lessons and more about making tennis part of the family’s routine. Jonathan notes that much of Josh’s early development came from sessions that were sometimes only 15 or 20 minutes, but he’d get his tennis racquet out just about every day.

“We always did just a little bit,” Jonathan says. “I really believe in that.”

That consistency gave Josh a technical foundation without making tennis feel like a chore. By the time it became a more competitive pursuit when he began playing more tournaments around the under-14 age group, the work had already become habitual for Josh.

It didn’t take long for Josh to make his mark nationally. He helped Team Canada to a runner-up finish at the 2023 International Tennis Federation World Junior Tennis Finals and was part of Tennis Canada’s National Tennis Centre program in 2023-24 before returning home.

Last season, Josh won 15 consecutive matches in national competition to earn Tennis Canada U16 boys’ singles and doubles championships, plus a gold medal with Team Ontario at the Canada Summer Games.

Read More: Ottawa at the Canada Games Day 8: Josh Adamson perfect in gold medal tennis run

This year, Josh was granted an exemption from the U18 national championships so he could compete at higher-level junior World Tennis (formerly ITF) events overseas.

“Being told that I should go play these other big junior tournaments in Europe instead of the nationals was just a really big thing,” Josh signals.

Facing global competition was indeed a large step up. After winning J60 titles in Guatemala, Romania and Brazil in 2025, Josh took on more challenging tournaments with higher grades this season, playing primarily in events ranked J200 and above (which are worth more points for world rankings and attract better players).

He started the year by travelling to Slovakia and Tunisia but recorded just one win over three tournaments.

Back on this side of the Atlantic Ocean, Josh then won four matches to reach a February tournament final in Dominican Republic, but then won just four more over the course of his next nine tournaments in the U.S., Austria, Bulgaria, Slovakia, France and Italy.

In Jonathan’s view, all those experiences helped build resilience. Tennis is a 365-day sport, he notes, with tournaments, training and travel leaving little room to simply switch off. Players can cross the world for a major tournament and discover that their best tennis is not there that week. Learning to accept those stretches, stay patient and find a way forward has become an important part of Josh’s development.

“It’s very, very hard to peak all the time,” his dad indicates, noting Josh has become better at finding ways through matches when his best tennis is not there. “There was a little bit of, ‘If he plays well, he’s gonna win. If he doesn’t, he’s not gonna win.’ And now it’s more like, you’re learning how to manage the match more.”

Josh feels his serve, patience and consistency have improved, while facing different opponents has taught him to adjust without abandoning his own style.

“Everyone plays differently. You’re never gonna play the same person that plays the same,” explains the left-handed player with a deadly slice serve from the advantage side.

Those learnings bore fruit by the time summer arrived. Propelled by many close matches against top players earlier in the year and a strong training block at home with his family and hitting with Will, Josh turned his fortunes with a quarter-final appearance in Puerto Escondido, Mexico and then he broke through for his first J200 title in Monterrey, Mexico on July 4.

He followed that up with a run to the semi-finals in Switzerland and then another triumph in Germany, where the 10,000-resident town of Rüdesheim welcomed the Aug. 4-8 tournament with open arms.

“It was just basically the whole town coming out and helping and watching every match,” recounts Jonathan.

The event in Germany at the end of his trip to Europe provided the best evidence of Josh’s growth. Three of five matches went to a deciding set, with a second-round battle sticking out most to Jonathan.

Josh won the first set 7-6 (4) but lost the second set 2-6. As the match grew increasingly tense and his opponent’s parents yelling at the officials from the sidelines, Josh stepped away to reset and returned to the court ready to fight his way back, claiming a 7-5 final set win.

“He just kind of put his head down and went to work,” recalls Jonathan, who describes his son as quiet, kind and intelligent, while underlining that those traits don’t diminish his dedication or competitiveness.

“Quiet kids can be just as fiery and determined as outgoing kids,” he adds.

Jonathan believes Josh’s success was not the product of one good week.

“It was building for the last six months,” he emphasizes. “He was very close to breaking through.”

That experience may be a welcome reminder for his most recent set of tournaments back in North America.

Struggling to readjust to hard courts after excelling on clay, Josh lost in the first rounds of higher J300 events in Maryland and Repentigny, QC. He won his first match in qualifying for the US Open Junior Tennis Championships but had a downer on his 17th birthday as he fell one win short of the main draw.

One reality that’s become increasingly evident to the Adamsons is there is little time to dwell on any one match, with the next one on tap very quickly. Josh says the international circuit has shifted his outlook on his own future as he plays and practices alongside many players who will become professional players.

Currently ranked 71st in the World Tennis junior men’s rankings (and top-30 without older 2008-born players), Josh has big ambitions for his final junior season next year. He’d like to qualify for all four junior Grand Slams, move into the top 15 or 20 in the junior rankings and begin playing more professional tournaments. Eventually, he’d love to represent Canada at the Olympics.

“That would be really cool,” says Josh, who has thoroughly enjoyed getting a taste of what pro tennis may have in store.

“I love the travel part and going to see new places,” he indicates, while his dad jokes that Josh may enjoy travelling almost as much as tennis.

The constant travel has shaped more than Josh’s tennis, it’s also changed the way he goes to school. Grade 8 was his last year in a traditional classroom. Since then, he’s completed his courses online with the Ottawa Catholic School Board, allowing him to keep up with school while travelling for tournaments and training.

The arrangement has given him opportunities most teenagers never experience, along with friendships through Tennis Canada and a chance to compete internationally. His father knows there is a tradeoff, but believes the experience has been worth it.

“He’s missed out on some things, but he’s gained a lot of things,” Jonathan reasons.

The journey remains a team effort, as it has been from the family’s earliest days in the sport. Jonathan is still part of Josh’s coaching team, while Tennis Canada coaches, including Hugo Di Feo, have become increasingly important to his development. Josh’s mother contributes in a big way too, as the March Tennis Club’s manager and head of the club’s junior program.

His brother Will, who plays tennis for the University of Ottawa, remains a constant. The brothers still train together whenever Josh is home, although Will’s role goes beyond being the player across the net.

“His brother has always been his main practice partner and he’s still one of the main reasons why Josh keeps moving up in the levels,” underlines Jonathan, noting that Will helps Josh prepare for tournaments but also identifies when he needs to step away from tennis and simply relax.

Josh’s long-term potential remains unknown, but Jonathan sees no reason to put a limit on it.

“I think what Josh has taught me the most is that there’s no need to put a ceiling on anything,” he outlines. “If you keep working and you keep on the right path, I really think anything’s probably possible.”

The milestones may keep getting bigger, but Josh’s father still sees the same enjoyment when his son plays now as he did as a child rallying with his dad and brother.

“Just seeing the fact that he still enjoys it so much,” says Jonathan, “that’s probably what I’m most proud of.”