Rafael Nadal has said that he does not believe he is one of the top contenders for the Australian Open title this season.

This is nothing new from Nadal though. He has made such sort of statements before, ahead of many tournaments. He does so perhaps because he does not want to be under pressure by declaring himself the hot favourite. He wants to play as an underdog.

Well, Nadal can never really be an underdog in a tournament given how great a player he has been over the last decade, but, still, he likes it when people don’t expect him to win a particular tournament. He is one of those guys who want to stay away from the spotlight. He feels slightly easy playing in his own space.

However, what Nadal has said this time about his chances, many people would agree to him. He is not trying to undermine himself here. If you take fitness, form and the other things in consideration, the other players, who are in top 10, are certainly looking in better condition than the Spaniard right now.

But, the thing is that Nadal is not an ordinary player. He can, all of a sudden, lift his game and he has done that in the past. So, as an opponent or even as a critic, you just cannot completely write him off.

When asked if he believes he would have the trophy in his hands in a few weeks’ time at the Melbourne Park, Nadal said, “It’s hard for me to answer this question in yes because I am not that confident about my game currently, but, that confidence can quickly come in if I get a couple of wins under my belt.”

“To be honest, I cannot be counted as a favourite simply because I have not played enough tennis in the recent times.