Bernarda Pera is a professional tennis player from America. She was born in Zadar, Croatia, on 3rd December 1994. She is a left-handed player with a height of 1.75 m (5 feet 9 inches). The 27-year-old began playing the sport at the age of five and turned professional in 2011. She made her debut in the Croatian ITF Circuit.
Coached by Guillermo Cañas, Pera has been sponsored by various companies, including Lacoste for apparel, Mizuno for footwear, and Babolat for sports equipment.
Bernarda Pera Career Highlights
2009 – 13
Pera’s first events were held on the ITC Circuit in Croatia. She was guided by her coach, Velimir Zovko, and earned titles that included 3 Singles and 1 Doubles.
2014 – 15
She entered the WTA scene in 2014 at the US Open, in which she competed as a wildcard in the Doubles tournament alongside Tornado Alicia Back. In Quebec City, she competed and qualified for her first WTA Tour appearance.
In 2015, she entered events worth $10k and won in Alkmaar, Rotterdam and Breda. She fell twice, qualifying in WTA, elevating her No. 646 to rank No. 361.
2016 – 17
In 2016, she entered the main draw of WTA in Guangzhou and won several titles during the ITF Circuit.
She had 54 victories and 20 losses at every level during 2017. Her rank shot above 200 places, and she ended the season ranking 127th. She also competed in Olomouc for an $80k event, where she claimed her first top 50 victory by defeating Krystina Pliskova.
2018 – 19
Pera was the first to qualify for the Australian Open in 2018, beginning the season and advancing the third round. In Melbourne, she defeated Blinkova and won the main draw. She also earned a top-100 victory by defeating No. 9 Konta.
She participated in the Top 100 season a second time, finishing the year ranked No. 65.
2020 – 21
She was the third seed in the 2020 Indian Wells Challenger. She faced Serena Williams during the Top Seed Open but lost during the first round. She still finished the year ranking No. 61.
In 2021, Pera and her Polish partner Magda Linette reached the Grand Slam of the French Open, competing in the doubles semi-finals for the first time. She finished 83rd in doubles and 68th in singles.
Bernarda Pera Personal Life
Bernarda Pera and her sisters, Ana and Andrea Pera, were born in Croatia to a family of Croatian-Dalmatian Italian descent. Her mother, Lidija Pera, and her father, Valter Pera, a US citizen, decided to relocate to America in support of their daughter’s sports career. She was 16 when she moved with her family to New Jersey.
Since 2018, she has been in a relationship with Kristijan Krajina, a Croatian basketball player.
Bernarda Pera Achievements
- Bernarda Pera was ranked 59th in the world in singles.
- In 2018, she was ranked 5th in the WTA Singles Ranking.
- She also ranked 17th in the WTA Doubles Ranking in 2020.
- During the WTA Tour, Pera has won 9 singles titles and 1 doubles title.
