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. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
In doing so, Sharapova proved that she is head and shoulders above the current crop of women players. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
\"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. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Sharapova favorite to reign at Wimbledon<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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. Continue reading