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General First nameKarl Kristian Anton (Kalle)
LastnameSchroeder
GenderMale
CountrySweden
Date of birth1913-10-30
Place of birthLidingo, Sweden
Date of death1982-06-09
Place of deathLidingo, Sweden


About

He was a Swedish tennis player.
Kalle Schröder was the first Swedish tennis player to reach the international top class. During the years 1934-42 he won 11 European Championship titles and became German, French and English indoor champion during the 1930s. He played 26 Davis Cup matches for Sweden (1934-39) and won 17 of these. As a teammate he had among others the player Nils Rohlsson. Due to an overtramp due to a hot temper, in 1941 Schröder was temporarily disqualified from amateur games. During the Finnish winter war he participated as a volunteer soldier until 1942. He became a professional player that year. He then worked as a tennis instructor and trained, among others, Lennart Bergelin.

He has become especially known for his three wins over the French major and Wimbledon winner Jean Borotra. The last match was played in 1935 and concerned the Scandinavian indoor championships. The match was referenced on the radio by Sven Jerring. At the score 2-2 in the fifth and decisive set, the record time was over and Sven Jerring announced that he would report the final result afterwards, after which pause music was added. This gave rise to one of the first "folk storms" in Swedish radio history. The reaction was unexpected for Sven Jerring because tennis at this time was still considered a narrow, exclusive sport known as the "white sport" and associated with "upper class".

Kalle Schröder has on several occasions acted as a double partner to the Swedish tennis-loving king Gustaf V. Schröder, through his unconventional behavior on and off the court and a cheerful mood make him a well-known and popular sports profile. He thereby helped to broaden interest in the sport and paved the way for later Swedish tennis successes. He also became known to the Swedish audience for his great appetite for pastries, and he was therefore called "the pastry king".

Kalle Schröder had a hard serve and a very efficient volleyball game. He also took great advantage of his attitude of never giving up. His weak side was mediocre ground, especially on the forehand side. His tennis style was best suited for indoor courts, where he won his greatest successes. He also defeated other top players such as the German Gottfried von Cramm and the Englishman Henry Austin. During the 1950s he played exhibition matches in Sweden against, among others, Fred Perry.

Media


Archive statistics Career1934 - 1956
Tournament wins16
Matches175
Match wins118


Tournament wins 1942 - Swedish National Covered Courts Championships (Amateur)
1941 - Swedish National Championships (Open)
1939 - Swedish National Championships (Open)
1938 - German International Covered Court Championships ()
1938 - Riviera Championships (Amateur)
1938 - Swedish National Championships (Open)
1937 - Oran (Amateur)
1937 - Riviera Championships (Amateur)
1936 - Lyon Covered Court Championships (Open)
1936 - British Covered Court Championships (Amateur)
1936 - Scandinavian Championships (Open)
1935 - Lyon Covered Court Championships (Open)
1935 - Danish International Championhips (Amateur)
1935 - Swedish National Championships (Open)
1935 - Coupe de Noel (Amateur)
1935 - Bastad-B (Amateur)


Tournaments Wembley Professional Championships - 1956 Slazenger Professional - 1954 Wembley Professional Championships - 1953 Wembley Professional Championships - 1951 Slazenger Professional - 1951 Wembley Professional Championships - 1950 German Professional Championships - 1950 World Professional Indoors - 1949 Slazenger Professional - 1949 Slazenger Professional - 1948 Michigan Sate Pro Championships - 1946 Chicago Pro Championships - 1946 Hungarian International Championships - 1942 Bastad - 1942 Swedish National Covered Courts Championships - 1942 Bastad - 1941 Livorno - 1941 Swedish National Covered Courts Championships - 1941 Danish Covered Courts - 1940 Monte Carlo - 1939 Cannes Championships - 1939 Nice - 1939 German International Championships - 1939 U.S. vs. Sweden Exhibition - 1939 Italy vs. Sweden exhibiion - 1939 Oslo vs. Goteborg - 1939 Bastad - 1939 Eastern Mediterranean Championships - 1939 Cannes Championships - 1938 Côte d'Azur Championships - 1938 Riviera Championships - 1938 French Covered Court Championships - 1938 German International Covered Court Championships - 1938 King's Cup - First Round - 1938 Swedish National Championships - 1938 Bastad - 1938 Wimbledon - 1937 Monte Carlo - 1937 Beaulieu - 1937 Côte d'Azur Championships - 1937 Coupe de Noel - 1937 Riviera Championships - 1937 German International Covered Court Championships - 1937 South of France Championships - 1937 Oran - 1937 Casablanca - 1937 British Covered Court Championships - 1937 King's Cup - Final - 1937 Nordic Cup - 1937 Scandinavian Championships - 1937 R.C. Canottieri Roma - 1937 Coupe de Noel - 1936 Lyon Covered Court Championships - 1936 Bermuda Championships - 1936 US International Indoor Championships - 1936 British Covered Court Championships - 1936 Scandinavian Championships - 1936 Coupe de Noel - 1935 Lyon Covered Court Championships - 1935 German International Covered Court Championships - 1935 Danish International Championhips - 1935 Swedish National Championships - 1935 Danish Covered Courts - 1935 Bastad - 1935 Bastad-B - 1935 Wimbledon - 1934 Coupe de Noel - 1934 French Covered Court Championships - 1934 German International Covered Court Championships - 1934 Danish Covered Courts - 1934