Petra is best remembered as the last Frenchman to win the Wimbledon Championships men's singles title (in 1946), beating Geoff Brown in five sets in the final.

In 1938, he won the singles and doubles title at the French Covered Court Championships.

[4][5] He emigrated to the United States and worked as a tennis pro at the Saddle and Cycle Club in Chicago and a country club in Connecticut towards the end of his life.

[2][6] He was the last man to wear long trousers in a Wimbledon final and was the last Frenchman to win the singles title.

[8] He was inducted into International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2016.