 | |
| Full name | Frederick Rudolph Schroeder |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  United States |
| Born | (1921-07-20)July 20, 1921 Newark,New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | May 26, 2006(2006-05-26) (aged 84) La Jolla,California, U.S. |
| Plays | Right-handed (1-handed backhand) |
| Int. Tennis HoF | 1966(member page) |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 27–5 |
| Highest ranking | No.1 (1949, Pierre Gillou)[1] |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Wimbledon | W (1949) |
| US Open | W (1942) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 1–2 |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | F (1949) |
| US Open | W (1940, 1941, 1947) |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | 1R (1971) |
| US Open | W (1942) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | W (1946,1947,1948,1949) |
Frederick Rudolph "Ted"Schroeder (July 20, 1921 – May 26, 2006) was an Americantennis player who won the two most prestigious amateur tennis titles,Wimbledon and theU.S. National. He was the No. 1-ranked American amateur player in 1942; the No. 2 for 4 consecutive years, 1946 through 1949, and the latter year saw Schroeder ranked World No. 1 amateur by Pierre Gillou (president of theFédération Française de Tennis).[1] He was born inNewark, New Jersey, but developed as a tennis player inSouthern California under the guidance ofPerry T. Jones.
Schroeder was born in Newark, NJ but moved toGlendale in his childhood where he learned to play tennis.[2] He was discovered byPerry T. Jones who was based at theLos Angeles Tennis Club and mentored several world-class players includingEllsworth Vines,Bobby Riggs andJack Kramer.[3] Schroeder was an almost exact contemporary of Kramer, having been born only 10 days earlier in 1921, and they began to play against each other as top boy players in the mid-1930s. Schroeder's career is similar to Kramer's in that they both became top players whose careers were then interrupted by World War II. They were also lifelong friends and at least once Schroeder mortgaged his house on short notice in order to be able to lend an unsolicited $25,000 to Kramer. Schroeder, however, attended college for four years, the first two at theUniversity of Southern California (USC), and the last two atStanford University. After the war Kramer proved himself to be slightly better than Schroeder in the amateur ranks and subsequently turned professional.
When Riggs semi-retired he became the promoter of the professional tour. He and Kramer decided that the only player who could oppose Kramer for a financially successful tour would be Schroeder. The youthfulPancho Gonzales was the reigning American amateur champion, due to his upset win at theU.S. Open Championships in 1948, but during his brief career had been beaten by Schroeder eight matches out of nine. Schroeder, playing during vacation time from his job, won Wimbledon in June 1949, winning some tough matches along the way. Schroeder was two sets down againstGardnar Mulloy in round one and then had five-set wins againstFrank Sedgman,Eric Sturgess andJaroslav Drobny in the quarters, semis and final.[4][5] According to his obituary in theNew York Times, he "captivated London as an outgoing, straightforward Yank smoking a corn-cob pipe and earned the nickname 'Lucky Ted' there for his five-set escapes".
Following his Wimbledon victory, Riggs and Kramer offered Schroeder $25,000 to turn pro after he won the up-coming1949 U.S. Championships and Schroeder accepted. But Gonzales upset their plans by beating the heavily favored Schroeder in a five-set final — it has been called the 11th greatest match of all time.[6] Gonzales lost the 1-hour and 15-minute first set 16–18 but finally managed to prevail in the fifth set.[7] Kramer writes that in spite of his friendship with Schroeder, he has always felt that Schroeder subconsciously "tanked" the match, in order to avoid the rigors of the professional tour. In any event, Gonzales was now the two-time American champion and Kramer and Riggs were obliged to sign him, instead of Schroeder, to a professional contract.
Schroeder was never much more than a part-time player after the War, being preoccupied with his family and his career as vice president of a commercial refrigeration equipment company, and had never really intended to turn professional. Schroeder said he took his tennis far too emotionally to allow him to treat it as a profession.[8] He remained a successful amateur player for a few more years and then faded from view. He died inLa Jolla, California at the age of 84. His son,John, is a professionalgolfer who has won on thePGA Tour. Had 2 others sons Richard Schroeder and Robert Schroeder.
In his 1979 autobiography, the long-time tennis promoter and great playerJack Kramer included Schroeder in his list of the 21 greatest players of all time.[9] Schroeder, says Kramer, "won with heart and stamina, but lacked in the simple mechanics."
Kramer writes,
As a player, Schroed had weaknesses with his groundstrokes. Long before the rest of us, he was rushing the net because he couldn't rely on his backhand or forehand.... he had the ideal attacking grass game: a terrific overhead and volley (especially the backhand) and that most valuable of all tools, a strong second serve. Also, Schroed was tough physically, at a time of long best-of-five deuce sets, and he was a great fighter.
Schroeder was inducted into theInternational Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island in 1966.
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1942 | U.S. Championships | Grass |  Frank Parker | 8–6, 7–5, 3–6, 4–6, 6–2 |
| Win | 1949 | Wimbledon | Grass |  Jaroslav Drobný | 3–6, 6–0, 6–3, 4–6, 6–4 |
| Loss | 1949 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Pancho Gonzales | 18–16, 6–2, 1–6, 2–6, 4–6 |
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1940 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Jack Kramer | Gardnar MulloyHenry Prusoff | 6–4, 8–6, 9–7 |
| Win | 1941 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Jack Kramer | Wayne Sabin Gardnar Mulloy | 9–7, 6–4, 6–2 |
| Loss | 1942 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Sidney Wood | Gardnar MulloyBill Talbert | 5–7, 7–9, 1–6 |
| Win | 1947 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Jack Kramer | Bill Talbert Bill Sidwell | 6–4, 7–5, 6–3 |
| Loss | 1948 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Frank Parker | Gardnar Mulloy Bill Talbert | 6–1, 7–9, 3–6, 6–3, 7–9 |
| Loss | 1949 | Wimbledon | Grass | Gardnar Mulloy | Pancho GonzalesFrank Parker | 4–6, 4–6, 2–6 |
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1942 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Louise Brough | Patricia Canning Todd Alejo Russell | 3–6, 6–1, 6–4 |
