LONDON (Reuters) - Former Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova said she had put her French Open disappointment behind her and was ready for the grasscourt slam next week despite little practice on the surface.

Sharapova, who was knocked out by fellow Russian Dinara Safina in the fourth round at Roland Garros earlier this month, has decided not to play any warm-up grass tournaments ahead of Wimbledon, which starts on Monday.

"I wanted to change things a little bit, sometimes your year becomes a routine and I wanted to change pace," the 2004 champion told reporters this week at a school close to Wimbledon.

"I feel I needed a break from the road and to recharge my batteries."

Sharapova won the first grand slam of the year at the Australian Open in January, and although the French Open remained the only major missing from her collection she did not dwell on the disappointment of losing on clay.

"It hurt for a few hours but once I got on the plane it was pretty much gone. Some losses take longer than others but if it's meant to be, it's meant to be," Sharapova said.

"Within 24 hours of losing at Paris I was at home in my coffee shop looking through a cookbook and wondering what I was going to cook for dinner so I have a very normal life outside of this tennis world."

LOSING TOP RANKING

The 21-year-old took the top spot in the world rankings after Belgium's Justine Henin announced her retirement last month, but on Monday she slipped to third place behind French Open champion Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic.

Sharapova said she welcomed the emergence of her two Serbian rivals and looked forward to facing them at Wimbledon.

"I think every professional athlete welcomes challenges. At the end of the day that's what it's all about and that's what drives me to beat the better players," she said.

Sharapova was confident about her chances at the All England Club, despite having just one week of practice on grass.

"My chances are just as good as everybody's. There are only a few chances you are going to be given especially against tough opponents and tough players."

Last year Sharapova's game was dogged by a shoulder injury and she claimed just one WTA title at San Diego.

"I've had a long year so far. I've had a lot of matches. I'm close to playing the same amount of matches as I played last year and we're almost in July and I've still got a lot of tennis ahead of me," Sharapova said.

(Editing by Miles Evans)