Martina Navratilova is a person.
Martina Navratilova . She reached the Wimbledon singles final 12 times , including nine consecutive years from 1982 through 1990 , and won the women 's singles title at Wimbledon a record nine times ( surpassing Helen Wills Moody 's eight Wimbledon titles ) , including a run of six consecutive titles -- the best performance by any professional player at a major event . She was ranked in the world 's top 10 in singles for a record 20 consecutive years ( 1975 -- 1994 ) , a span which included 19 years in the top 5 , 15 years in the top 3 , and 7 years as the world No. 1 ranked singles player .