Carlos Alcaraz said it was not his concern if people consider him to be the favourite to triumph at the upcoming ATP Finals after the former world number one won the Paris Masters on Sunday.
Alcaraz downed third seed Ben Shelton in straight sets to win a first 1000-level title in the French capital.
However, despite going into the Finals on a nine-match winning streak and having lifted five titles already this season, Alcaraz insisted anything could happen at the season-ending tournament in Turin.
"You know, the matches were real close for me (in Paris). All I can say is I'm feeling really comfortable," the 23-year-old Spaniard told reporters in Paris.
"I'm going to go to Turin, going to try to do the same things that I have been doing...
"Probably these two last weeks have been the best I've played since my comeback," he added of the wrist injury that caused him to miss a large chunk of the season.
But Alcaraz said he was "going to leave it to the people if they see me as a favourite".
"Let's see. If I'm the favourite or not or I feel the favourite or not, to be honest, it is not in my hand or I don't really want to take that in my hand and not think about it," the seven-time Grand Slam champion said.
In the absence of reigning champion Jannik Sinner at the November 15-22 tournament, Alcaraz will be the second seed behind world number one Alexander Zverev.
But the German met with a disappointing second-round exit in Paris in his last tournament before the Finals, casting aspersions on his hopes for a third win at the season-ender.
After completing his career Grand Slam with Australian Open victory at the start of the season and now lifting the Paris Masters title for the first time, Alcaraz admitted he was hungry to win a maiden Finals crown after losing to Sinner in last year's final.
"This is a tournament that I really want to win one day," he said.
"I don't know if it's gonna be this year, next year, if I ever gonna be able to win this tournament, but I'm gonna work hard."
nf/ea
