Controversial swimmer Nick D'Arcy has accepted he won't be every Australian fan's cup of tea at the London Olympics.
But the butterfly ace says he's got all the support he needs in his corner.
"I've known this whole time that there are going to be parts of the Australian public that won't be cheering for me," D'Arcy said on Friday.
"The important thing to me is that my family and friends are going to be behind me.
"They have been behind me since day one, the swim team is behind me, that's a pretty important one to have.
"Everyone who's important to me is going to be behind me and is going to be cheering and that's what I will be focusing on."
D'Arcy,24, continues to polarise the Australian sporting public as he prepares to make his Olympic debut.
He was last year ordered to pay $180,000 in damages after he assaulted former swimmer Simon Cowley in 2008 and was subsequently dropped from the team to Beijing after qualifying.
He filed for bankruptcy last December, meaning he didn't have to pay, in a move described by Cowley's lawyer Sam Macedone as a "cop out".
Some have questioned whether he should be allowed to compete for Australia in London but D'Arcy is not letting anything distract him from his quest for a medal in the 200m butterfly, where he will face off against US superstar Michael Phelps.
D'Arcy also brushed off another wave of criticism that came after he and teammate Monk appeared holding guns in a photo published on Facebook.
As punishment the pair have been ordered by Australian Olympic chef de mission Nick Green to return to Australia immediately after their events are over.
Monk on Friday said he wanted to meet with Green face-to-face in London to discuss what he still feels is a "harsh" decision.
But D'Arcy has opted not to weigh any further into the controversy.
"At this stage I'm just focused on my race. I'm coming up against some of the greatest people in the world," he said.
"I can't be focused on party afterwards. What I'm focused on now is my race and whatever happens afterwards, that's all well and good."
