[2] He was discovered by Perry T. Jones who was based at the Los Angeles Tennis Club and mentored several world-class players including Ellsworth Vines, Bobby Riggs and Jack Kramer.

The youthful Pancho Gonzales was the reigning American amateur champion, due to his upset win at the U.S. Open Championships in 1948, but during his brief career had been beaten by Schroeder eight matches out of nine.

Schroeder was two sets down against Gardnar Mulloy in round one and then had five-set wins against Frank Sedgman, Eric Sturgess and Jaroslav Drobny in the quarters, semis and final.

[4][5] According to his obituary in the New 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".

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.

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.

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 the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island in 1966.