LONDON (Reuters) - With the red clay of Roland Garros tamed, Maria Sharapova heads to the less alien setting of Wimbledon's grass a clear favorite having completed the career grand slam and regained her place at the pinnacle of the rankings.

Having washed the red dust out of her long blonde hair, she waves goodbye to her least favorite surface - on which she once described herself as a "cow on ice" - and says hello to Centre Court where she feels much more at home.

The Russian arrives as the number one seed and world number one having managed to keep her long limbs in check to win her first French Open title.

In doing so, Sharapova proved that she is head and shoulders above the current crop of women players.

Those who would be expected to challenge her at Wimbledon, such as four-times champion Serena Williams and last year's winner Petra Kvitova, have all looked distinctly second best in the run-up to this year's event.

Williams suffered a humiliating first-round exit in Paris at the hands of Virginie Razzano, while Kvitova was convincingly swatted aside by Sharapova in a one-sided semi-final, before being beaten in the first round at the Eastbourne International.

For the younger Williams sister, Paris defeat came as a shock after she had looked in fine fettle with a run of 17 straight wins, which included the Madrid title on clay, in the build up to Roland Garros.

The world number six is perhaps the only player who can rival and outpunch Sharapova when it comes to playing aggressive front-foot tennis which is borne out by an 8-2 winning record against the Russian.

As she nears the end of a trophy-laden career in which she has won 13 grand slams and emerged from a life-threatening injury, the American's hunger for more is frequently called into question, however.

"I've been through so much in my life, I just always think things can be worse," was her philosophical take on defeat in Paris.

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Sharapova favorite to reign at Wimbledon