Bernarda Pera Bio
Bernarda Pera is a Croatian-American professional tennis player who competes on the WTA Tour in both singles and doubles. She has won two singles titles and one doubles title at the WTA level, along with nine singles and eight doubles titles on the ITF Circuit. Pera reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 27 on June 12, 2023, and a career-high doubles ranking of No. 35 on February 21, 2022. She represents the United States in international team competition, having switched from Croatia in March 2013.
Standing 176 cm tall, Pera plays with a steady baseline game and has earned a reputation for upsetting higher-ranked opponents in tournament finals. Her career has carried her from junior events in Croatia to main-draw Grand Slam appearances, making her one of the more recognizable names in American women’s tennis in recent years.
Early Life and Background
Bernarda Pera was born on 3 December 1994 in Zadar, Croatia, into a Croatian-Dalmatian Italian family. Growing up in Zadar, she was exposed to tennis at a young age and began training seriously during her childhood, learning the sport in the coastal Croatian tennis culture. In addition to Croatian, she became fluent in English.
When Pera was 16, her father, who holds U.S. citizenship, moved the family to the United States to support her developing tennis career. They settled in New Jersey, where relatives and friends from the Croatian community were already living. The move gave Pera access to stronger training environments and a wider competitive schedule, which proved pivotal to her development as a junior and later as a professional.
Path to Professional Tennis
Pera began competing in ITF events and steadily built her ranking through the lower tiers of professional tennis. She collected nine singles and eight doubles titles on the ITF Circuit, a strong foundation that earned her entries into WTA Tour qualifying draws. Her hard work on the challenger circuit paid off when she was granted a wildcard into the doubles draw of the 2014 US Open alongside Tornado Alicia Black, marking her WTA Tour debut.
From 2014 onward, Pera balanced qualifying appearances with main-draw opportunities, gradually improving her ranking and confidence against top-level opponents. Her breakthrough came in 2018 when she reached her first WTA Tour singles semifinal at the Guangzhou Open, signaling that she belonged on the tour. By the early 2020s, Pera had established herself as a consistent presence in the main draws of WTA events.
Bernarda Pera Career
Early Career (2014–2017)
Pera made her WTA Tour debut at the 2014 US Open in doubles, having been handed a wildcard alongside Tornado Alicia Black. Over the next several seasons, she competed primarily in qualifying rounds and lower-tier events, working to accumulate match experience and climb the rankings. Her results improved steadily as she adjusted to the demands of professional tennis.
Her first notable main-draw appearances came at Grand Slam events, where she tested herself against the world’s best players. These early seasons laid the groundwork for the breakthrough that would come a few years later.
2018 Major Singles Debut and First WTA Semifinal
Pera made her major singles debut at the 2018 Australian Open, where she entered as a lucky loser after Margarita Gasparyan withdrew. She defeated Anna Blinkova in the first round and produced one of her best results by knocking out ninth seed Johanna Konta in the second round, before falling to Barbora Strýcová in the third round.
That same year, Pera made it through to the quarterfinals at the Charleston Open, losing to seventh seed Madison Keys in three sets. Her biggest breakthrough came at the 2018 Guangzhou Open, where she defeated fourth seed Aleksandra Krunić in the quarterfinals to reach her first WTA Tour semifinal, eventually losing to fifth seed Yulia Putintseva. That run established her as a rising threat on the tour.
2019–2020 Three Semifinals
In 2019, Pera reached three WTA singles semifinals. At the Prague Open, she defeated third seed Wang Qiang in the quarterfinals before losing to wildcard Karolína Muchová. She also made the last four at the Lausanne Open, where she was defeated by eventual champion Fiona Ferro, and at the Baltic Open, where she fell to Katarzyna Kawa.
The 2020 season was shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the WTA Tour to cancel tournaments from March through July. When play resumed, Pera competed at the 2020 Lexington Challenger, where she was eliminated in the first round by top seed Serena Williams. At the US Open, she reached the second round by defeating Zarina Diyas before losing to 15th seed Maria Sakkari. She closed the year with first-round exits at the Italian Open and Internationaux de Strasbourg, and a second-round loss at the French Open to 25th seed Amanda Anisimova.
2021 French Open Doubles Semifinal
Pera opened her 2021 season at the Abu Dhabi Open, beating 16th seed Donna Vekić in the first round before losing to Sara Sorribes Tormo. At the Australian Open, she produced a notable win by eliminating 23rd seed and 2016 champion Angelique Kerber in the first round. Her year was filled with tough losses to top players, including a three-set battle against top seed Ashleigh Barty at the French Open.
In doubles, Pera and Magda Linette reached the semifinals at the French Open, where they lost to second seeds Barbora Krejčíková and Kateřina Siniaková. Later in the year, Pera and Linette advanced to her first WTA 1000 semifinal in doubles at the Canadian Open. The season was a grind of close matches that set the stage for her first tour-level titles.
2022 First Career Titles
Pera won her first WTA Tour title in doubles at the Melbourne Summer Set 2, partnering with Kateřina Siniaková, a result that lifted her to a career-high doubles ranking of No. 35 in February 2022. She then turned her attention to singles, qualifying for the Budapest Grand Prix and defeating Marina Bassols Ribera, fifth seed Aliaksandra Sasnovich, Elisabetta Cocciaretto, and ninth seed Anna Bondár to reach her first WTA singles final. She defeated Aleksandra Krunić to claim her maiden singles title.
Her momentum carried into the Hamburg European Open, where she beat defending champion Elena-Gabriela Ruse, Joanne Züger, Kateřina Siniaková, and Maryna Zanevska to reach a second consecutive final. In the championship match, Pera upset top seed and world No. 2 Anett Kontaveit to win her second career singles title, stretching her winning streak to 12 matches and 24 consecutive sets, and climbing to a career-high singles ranking of No. 54. She finished 2022 ranked No. 44 in singles, a career-high year-end ranking.
2023 French Open Fourth Round and Top 30
In 2023, Pera reached the third round of the Australian Open for the second time, with wins over Moyuka Uchijima and 29th seed Zheng Qinwen, before losing to seventh seed Coco Gauff. At the Strasbourg Open, she made the quarterfinals, where she was defeated by Clara Burel.
Her biggest singles result came at the French Open, where she reached the fourth round of a major for the first time. She defeated Anett Kontaveit, 22nd seed Donna Vekić, and Elisabetta Cocciaretto before falling to seventh seed Ons Jabeur. That run pushed her into the top 30 of the WTA rankings for the first time, peaking at No. 27 on June 12, 2023.
2024 Wimbledon Third Round
Pera opened 2024 as runner-up at the WTA 125 Veneto Open, losing to Alycia Parks in the final. At Wimbledon, she reached the third round for the first time with wins over Anastasia Potapova and 23rd seed Caroline Garcia, before losing to 13th seed Jelena Ostapenko. In October, she reached the quarterfinals at the Guangzhou Open, defeating qualifier Alexandra Eala and wildcard Zhang Shuai before falling to top seed Kateřina Siniaková.
The following week at the Hong Kong Tennis Open, Pera again made the quarterfinals by defeating Sara Saito and qualifier Shi Han, before losing to third seed Leylah Fernandez. These results showed her continued ability to compete deep into draws on hard courts.
2025 Billie Jean King Cup Debut
Pera made her debut for the United States Billie Jean King Cup team in the 2025 qualifying round held in Bratislava. She defeated Johanne Svendsen and Rebecca Šramková in wins over Denmark and Slovakia, respectively, helping the United States top the group and advance to the finals.
At the French Open, Pera overcame Caroline Garcia and 18th seed Donna Vekić to reach the third round, where her run was ended by 13th seed Elina Svitolina. These performances reinforced her role as a dependable contributor in both team competition and Grand Slam settings.
Notable Events and Milestones
Pera’s career is highlighted by her first WTA singles title in Budapest in 2022 and her upset of world No. 2 Anett Kontaveit in the Hamburg European Open final later that same year. Her run to the fourth round of the French Open in 2023 pushed her into the top 30 of the WTA rankings for the first time. She has represented the United States in the Billie Jean King Cup, helping the team qualify for the finals in 2025.
Bernarda Pera Career Wins
Across her career, Bernarda Pera has compiled two WTA Tour singles titles and one WTA Tour doubles title, along with nine singles and eight doubles titles on the ITF Circuit. Her WTA singles titles came at the 2022 Budapest Grand Prix and the 2022 Hamburg European Open. Her doubles title came at the 2022 Melbourne Summer Set 2, partnering with Kateřina Siniaková.
WTA Tour Highlights
Pera’s first WTA singles title came at the 2022 Budapest Grand Prix, where she qualified for the main draw and defeated Aleksandra Krunić in the final to claim her maiden trophy. Her second singles title arrived at the 2022 Hamburg European Open, where she upset top seed Anett Kontaveit to extend her winning streak to 12 matches. In doubles, her breakthrough came at the Melbourne Summer Set 2 in early 2022 alongside Kateřina Siniaková.
Other Wins and Performances
Beyond her WTA titles, Pera has captured nine singles and eight doubles titles on the ITF Circuit. She has reached three WTA singles semifinals in 2019 alone, at Prague, Lausanne, and the Baltic Open. In 2024, she reached the third round at Wimbledon for the first time in her career, and finished as runner-up at the WTA 125 Venoto Open.
Bernarda Pera Family
Family Background and Tennis Lineage
Bernarda Pera was raised in a Croatian-Dalmatian Italian family in Zadar, Croatia. Her father, a U.S. citizen, made the decision to relocate the family to the United States when she was 16 years old to advance her budding tennis career. They settled in New Jersey, where friends and relatives from the Croatian community were already living, giving Pera a strong support network during her early years in America.
Personal Life
Since 2018, Bernarda Pera has been in a relationship with Croatian basketball player Kristijan Krajina. The couple has been together throughout much of her professional career, with Krajina providing support across her WTA Tour seasons.
2025 Season Performance
Bernarda Pera’s 2025 season opened with her Billie Jean King Cup debut for the United States in the qualifying round in Bratislava, where she posted wins over Johanne Svendsen and Rebecca Šramková to help the United States top its group. That international experience gave her valuable match sharpness heading into the spring European clay-court swing.
At the French Open, Pera reached the third round after wins over Caroline Garcia and 18th seed Donna Vekić, before falling to 13th seed Elina Svitolina. The result continued her pattern of competitive Grand Slam showings against seeded opponents.
With a top-30 career-high ranking already behind her, Pera enters the second half of 2025 looking to add to her WTA title count and push closer to the top 20. Her experience on hard courts and clay, combined with the team momentum from the Billie Jean King Cup, positions her as a steady threat on both the WTA Tour and the international stage.