World champion Patrick Chan said Friday he was hopeful but unconvinced that veteran former Olympic champion Yevgeny Plushenko could make a comeback in the Sochi Games.
Plushenko has said he wants to compete at his home Olympics, and reclaim the title he won at the Turin Games after taking silver in Vancouver behind American Evan Lysacek.
"For him it's going to be very difficult to come back for Sochi," said Chan, after setting a world record mark of 98.52 points in the short program in the Trophee Bompard, the fifth in the six-leg ISU Grand Prix series in Paris on Friday.
Chan, like Plushenko, has won three world titles, but believes the world of skating has evolved since the 31-year-old Russian won his world golds in 2001, 2003 and 2004.
Plushenko has however made a comeback before, retiring after winning Olympic gold in 2006, and returning in 2009 to prepare for the Vancouver Games.
"It's a very different field. But he did it for Vancouver before. I'll tip my hat off to him if he can get to Sochi healthy and win," said 22-year-old Chan.
"He has spent a lot of time in rehab over the years, so it's going to be very difficult for him."
Chan added: "He's always been the talk of the town. He's going to bring even more excitement to the Games if he can make it."
Plushenko has not competed at a major event since the European Championships in Zagreb in January, where he withdrew after finishing sixth in the short programme.
In the summer, the seven-time European champion underwent back surgery.
He won the Volvo Cup, a senior B-level event in Latvia earlier this month, but his coach announced on Thursday he was pulling out of the final leg of the Grand Prix series in Moscow from November 22-24 because of a left knee problem.
"Though the tournament in Riga is just a minor competition it's very important for me to start with a minor event to go all the way to my main goal -- my fourth Olympics," said Plushenko, who won silver medals at the 2002 and 2010 Olympics.
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