Martina Navratilova is a person.
The Grand Slam tournaments , also called majors , are the four most-important annual tennis events . Martina Navratilova ( Martina Navrátilová [ ˈmarcɪna ˈnavraːcɪlovaː ] ; born Martina Šubertová [ ˈmarcɪna ˈʃubɛrtovaː ] ; October 18 , 1956 ) is a Czech and American retired tennis player and coach . She was year-end singles No. 1 seven times , including a record five consecutive years , as well as year-end doubles No. 1 five times , including three consecutive years during which she held the ranking for the entire year . 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 . The WTA Finals ( formerly known as the WTA Tour Championships short : WTA Championships ) , is a professional tennis tournament played annually at the end of the season for the top-ranked players on the Women 's Tennis Association ( WTA ) tour .