A Lifetime Of Service: How Willis Thomas Jr. helped shape tennis for the better

Kamau Murray has been hosting the Tennis.com Podcast for a year now, and the Chicago native always remains cool and collected. However, one can't hide the admiration for a pioneer, especially when they've knocked down the doors you're able to walk through. Willis Thomas Jr. is one of those men and he joined Murray on this week's show to discuss his impact molding some of the game's great players.

Lori McNeil, Katrina Adams and Zina Garrison all worked with Thomas Jr. when they were just starting to make noise in their craft. The long-time Washington D.C. resident helped them perfect it. On the topic of Garrison, Thomas Jr. was blunt.

"Zina was tough, and she was mean," Thomas Jr. says. "I told her not to change anything about her personality, just be mean on the court and not mean to me!" But like most humble members of the coaching ranks, Thomas Jr. gives virtually all the credit to the players. "My job was mainly mental (with his pupils). They could already play."

In addition to his coaching days, Thomas Jr. was quite the player on court in his day. In his teenage years he found a doubles partner in youth tennis by the name of Arthur Ashe, and even then he could tell he was destined for greatness. "He always knew what he wanted to do," Thomas Jr. lamented. "As you look back, you could see all the signs that he would be one of our great players."

Willis Thomas Jr. spent decades working at the Washington Tennis & Education Foundation (WTEF), where he assisted at-risk children through tennis and academic support. In 2018, WTEF honored him for his service and in the present day he lives in Florida as he enjoys the benefits of a well earned career. But make no mistake about it, without Willis Thomas Jr., some of the game's most important and transcendent events may not have happened.

For that, tennis is forever indebted to the coach that saw great potential in others.