Schroeder was an American tennis player who won the two most prestigious amateur tennis titles, Wimbledon and the U.S. National. He was the No. 1-ranked American player in 1942; the No. 2 for 4 consecutive years, 1946 through 1949, and the latter year saw Schroeder ranked World No. 1 by Pierre Gillou (president of the Fédération Française de Tennis).

Schroeder was born in Newark, New Jersey, but developed as a tennis player in Southern California under the guidance of Perry T. Jones. He has been considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time by many.