Born in 1943, Willis Thomas began his tennis career at the early age of four, under the instruction of his father, Willis Thomas Sr., who worked for many decades as a USTA official. Willis played as the junior ATA doubles partner to Arthur Ashe until the boys were about 14 years old. Even then, Thomas knew Ashe was destined for greatness. Thomas took that intuition regarding young players and used it in his coaching career that would follow. He would act as a coach to Katrina Adams, Zina Garrison, and Leslie Allen during his career.  

Thomas has continued to impact young players in the game through his work at the Washington Tennis and Education Foundation. WTEF assists at risk children in Washington, DC, through tennis coaching and academic support. Thomas has served as the Vice President of Programming, and in 2018 was honored for his service to the organization. Additionally, he served two terms as President of the American Tennis Association.