John McEnroe believes
Alexander Zverev will be in the top 5 sooner rather than later if his bodies holds up and he stops getting injured.
Alexander Zverev made a return to Australia but the German didn't shine. He was beaten fairly early in the event and that was largely expected after he missed most of the year following his ankle injury at Roland Garros. Much will depend on his health, but John McEnroe believes that Zverev will return to the top if his body holds up:
“If his body plays along, he'll be in the top ten or
five players again. I don't know how long it will take, but it could be a
longer process. It says a lot that Zverev was at eye level with Rafael Nadal
at the French Open. I think he was close to a breakthrough. Now he's
back, that's positive. But there's still a lack of fitness and
self-confidence."
Zverev was indeed close to Nadal at Roland Garros as he was playing some of the best tennis he played in a really long time. The hope is that he can return to that level because it was absolutely spectacular. I's going to be tough because as McEnroe pointed out it set him back quite a bit:
“Is his ankle 100 percent healthy again? I don't know. I suspect it will be a process for Sascha. I don't want to say that he has to start over, but he will have to be patient. The injury was a big setback for him – and at the worst possible time."