He does not want to be earmarked as one of the favourites to win the singles crown of the XL Bermuda Tennis Classic, when play officially begins on December 6.

But if you were to make a quick study of the year Pernfors has just had, he has to be considered one of the top contenders to take home the $14,400 grand prize on the tournament's final day.

"I don't see myself as a favourite going in to Bermuda,'' Pernfors said in a telephone interview from his home in Hollviksnas, Sweden yesterday.

"Everybody is so good these days. Even the the players who do not have the big names.

"One of reasons I'm going to Bermuda is that I've been playing so well this year, so I want to take every opportunity I can to get my rankings up.'' Another reason he is playing in next month's tournament is that a spot was made available last week when Jaime Yzaga was forced to withdraw because of an ankle injury.

If there was an award for comeback player of the year on the ATP Tour, Pernfors would win it hands down.

He made the biggest rankings leap of any player in the Top 50, improving 205 spots to finish at 32nd a few weeks ago. It was his first return to the Top 50 since 1989 and was especially sweet since so many people had written him off.

The 1990s have not been kind to the right-hander.

Since 1991, Pernfors had been making a slow, but steady, return to the Tour, primarily due to achilles tendon surgery in April, 1990.

In 1992 he played in only three Tour events.

Once ranked as high as 10th in singles competition (1986) and 32nd in doubles (1988), Pernfors, 30, began to have doubts about his ability to play top-flight tennis.

He then named fellow Swede Magnus Moeblus as his new coach, a move which coincided with his sprint back to respectibility.

He began the year at the Challenger level and in Tour qualifying and reached the quarter-finals at Palm Springs, California, and semifinals at the Indian Wells Challengers in February.

Pernfors then won the Birmingham Challenger in April and five weeks later won consecutive titles at Challenger events in Bochum and Furth, both in Germany.

In late July he captured the Canadian Open in Montreal, a victory he calls the highlight of his year.

"I had played in two Challenger events prior to that, and I don't think I played very well, so I was very surprised,'' said Pernfors.

"To tell you the truth the only reason I went there is because I didn't have to qualify.'' His opponent in the final, Todd Martin, was serving for the match, 5-4, in the third round before Pernfors rallied for the title, becoming the only unseeded player to win a Tour event during the year.

"But it was such a relief to win, especially confidence-wise. It has made a big difference to me. I proved to myself that I could still play.'' Pernfors defeated four players in the Top 20 to win at Montreal, including Martin and world No. 2 Jim Courier.

"I played decent in first two rounds, but I thought I'd get killed by Courier.'' The Canadian Open was the third singles title of his career; he won his two previous titles in Los Angeles -- where he defeated Andre Agassi in the final -- and at Scottsdale, Arizona, in 1988.

His earnings total for 1993 was $390,595 to put him over the million-dollar mark career-wise.

Pernfors plans to arrive in Bermuda next Tuesday, a full five days before the Classic, and he has been busy training the last few weeks by playing a lot of squash and running. He hopes to play some golf when he arrives and, "other than that, I want to get a sun tan.'' He is pain-free for first time in his career, but refuses to set any goals beyond Bermuda. But he is most relieved that his victory in Montreal means that he does not have to qualify for any Grand Slam events.

MIKAEL PERNFORS -- The Swede, who will play in Bermuda, climbed the ATP rankings in 1993.