As of 2020, who has won the most Wimbledon singles tennis tournament titles in history?

Martina Navratilova (b. 1956) has won more Wimbledon singles crowns than any person in history, Open Era or pre-Open Era, men or women. To put Navratilova's accomplishment in perspective, she claimed as many Wimbledon singles titles as John McEnroe, Rafael Nadal, Jimmy Connors and Novak Djokovic combined. She won a record nine Wimbledon singles titles: 1978, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, and 1990.

Navratilova won her first Wimbledon singles title as a 21-year-old Czech and her last one as a 33-year-old American. She won 18 Grand Slam professional singles titles but no more than four at any major other than Wimbledon, where she was close to unbeatable for more than a decade.

Navratilova was raised on slow clay courts in Czechoslovakia yet became perhaps the best women's grass-court player ever. She dominated during a period that featured some of the best women's players in history, winning six Wimbledon titles in a row from 1982 through 1987.

She beat Chris Evert to win her first and second Wimbledon titles. Navratilova did not lose more than four games in any of her final four Wimbledon matches in 1983 and breezed to the 1984 and 1986 titles without the loss of a set.

Navratilova beat Evert and Steffi Graf in succession to capture the 1987 crown, and her closest match on her way to the 1990 title was a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Gabriela Sabatini in the semifinals.

She is considered one of the best female tennis players of all time.