Roger Federer played with Spider-Man and Thor during Australian Open Kids' Day.
Hitting with super heroes hasn't inflated the 36-year-old Swiss' sense of self-importance.
AO Men's Draw: Winners & Losers
While bookmakers have staked Federer to win the Australian Open, the reigning champion is downplaying his prospects for a reason.
Federer doesn't believe a man of his age should be a major favorite.
"With age, I feel like, you know, I play down my chances just because I don't think a 36-year-old should be a favorite of a tournament, it should not be the case," Federer told the media at his pre-tournament press conference. "That's why I see things more relaxed, you know, at a later stage of my career. "
So if Federer, who won two of the four major championships last year, isn't the favorite, then who is?
"I feel like maybe somebody like a Rafa, with the year that he's had, and Novak with the six titles he's had here, even if it's unknown how he's feeling, they could very well be the favorites, too," Federer said. "At the end of the day, it's all just talk beforehand. The draws are always tough, you know, I must admit. Never look at a draw and think, That was lucky, that was a bad draw. It's always tough because everybody can play.
"My focus, yeah, needs to be early because I have my own problems, you know, to get through my section of the draw, my game. That's my focus, not the other players really further down the line."
The 19-time Grand Slam champion opens against Aljaz Bedene.
Federer tuned up for his Melbourne title defense partnering Belinda Bencic to win the Hopman Cup for Switzerland.
The Wimbledon champion worked out like a super hero in preparation for the 2018 season.
"I mean, the off-season is tougher than playing tournaments—for me anyway," Federer said. "I work hard in the off-season to create a base that serves me well throughout the season, and then I rework the base time and time again throughout the season. I think that's very important.
"Now, I think attacking tennis also has a lot of wear and tear on the body because being highly explosive is something that's a big challenge. Playing more of a reactive game is maybe more physical in the sense that you play longer rallies, you spend more time on the court, but it's always pretty much the same. It's a similar rhythm. There's not that much sprints going on in this regard.
"Then again, we talk about Murray and Djokovic being grinders. I mean, I think they actually play quite aggressive. To be honest, everybody. Even Rafa is standing closer to the baseline normally than he ever has in the past as well." Photo credit: Australian Open Facebook