Martina Navratilova is a person.
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 and Billie Jean King each won 20 Wimbledon titles , an all-time record . She recorded the longest winning streak in the open era ( 74 consecutive matches ) and three of the six longest winning streaks . Navratilova reached 11 consecutive major singles finals , second all-time to Steffi Graf 's 13 , and is the only woman ever to reach 19 consecutive major semi-finals . 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 .