Rafael Nadal talked down his Australian Open chances, insisting he should not be considered among the favourites for the title.
The Spanish star is still on the comeback trail after appendix surgery, with his participation at the year's first grand slam in doubt after his shock loss to Michael Berrer in Doha on his competitive return.
But the 2014 runner-up is in Melbourne, drawn to face Russian Mikhail Youzhny in the first round, to continue his return.
However, Nadal considers himself one of the outsiders to win the crown – claiming he is not yet ready.
"No, I don't consider myself one of the favourites here. Last year, yes. This year is a different story," he told a media conference on Saturday.
"[I] would be lying if I say I feel that I am ready to win today. I don't feel myself ready to win the tournament here today.
"If I am here in a press conference in one week, maybe I will say another thing because will have the feeling that I will play few matches, and if I'm able to win that couple of matches, then probably I will have little bit more rhythm, I will have more confidence.
"But in theory, playing four, five matches in seven months, you cannot be a favourite of a tournament that is not clay, is on hard. It's another thing.
"In terms of being favourites, the other names are more favourites than me at this time."
Nadal pinpointed the usuals in Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray as favourites for the title.
Asked which areas of his game were improving, Nadal said he was happy with his serve – but is desperate to see his movement get better.
"My serve is working more or less well," he said, after jokingly suggesting "nothing" was going well.
"I need to be a little bit more dynamic on court with my movements. I am a player who find the confidence when I am able to defend well, when I am able to hit the ball knowing that the ball going to go in most of the times. So that's when I feel myself strong.
"As I say before, no, to make that happen, you need to do that on the competition."