KUALA LUMPUR: As one of the most decorated athletes in world badminton, Denmark's Viktor Axelsen has nothing more to prove to anybody.
At the age of 30, the reigning Olympic champion and world No. 1 would rather let others do the talking for him.
Although still trophy-less this season, the great Dane believes he is still very dangerous at his physical best.
"Who should I prove anything to? Why? You?" Axelsen joked after checking into the second round of the Malaysia Masters on Wednesday following a commanding 21-14, 21-11 win over Japan's Koki Watanabe.
"I really like you all, but I don't play for anybody else. I play for my own sake, and my family.
"I don't need to prove anything, but that does not mean I'm not as hungry as I was before. I'm just as hungry as I was when I was 15.
"When I look back, I've basically won everything I set out to achieve, so everything from now on is a bonus, and that makes me very dangerous if I'm in a good place physically," added Axelsen, who won a whopping six World Tour titles last year from seven finals.
With slightly more than two months to go before the Paris Olympics in July, hype is building up on who the favourites are for gold medal.
When he was asked if this affected him, Axelsen replied: "I let others do the talking, that's for sure.
"This is why we get paid and can live off our sports; because people are talking about who are the favourites.
"There is a build-up, and there is a hype. All this is great, but I don't really take any part in it. I just try to be the best version of myself, both on and off the court.
"I'm so happy with everything I've accomplished, and everything I win from now is a bonus.
"I'm still very hungry, so for me personally, that's a great position to be in."
Except for China's Lin Dan, no player has successfully defended and has won the Olympic gold medal twice.
Axelsen, the only European to win the Malaysia Masters singles title since its inception in 2009, will play against Thailand's Panitchaphon Teeraratsakul in the second round.