SYDNEY – Alexander Zverev on Saturday marked his return to competitive action for the first time since June following ankle surgery, but said after his 6-4, 6-2 loss to the Czech Republic’s Jiri Lehecka in the United Cup that he was some way from peak match fitness.

The 25-year-old had surgery to repair damaged ankle ligaments following an injury he picked up during his French Open semi-final against Rafael Nadal.

The German’s return was further delayed in September after he suffered from a bone edema, which forced him to withdraw from the Davis Cup Finals group stage. He then played in the Diriyah Tennis Cup exhibition event in Saudi Arabia in December.

Zverev, who rose to world No. 2 in June and has since dropped to 12th, said the injury was not a concern anymore but he will need more time to get his body up to speed after his tame defeat in the mixed-team tournament in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth.

“Physically, I’m not at the level I have to be. This isn’t even a question. I’m getting tired a lot quicker than I always did,” he said.

“I’m not as fast as I probably was. To be honest, I’m only pain-free for about two, three weeks now. Before that, I had pain and I wasn’t able to do all the different kind of things I want to do.

“I don’t think it’ll be a matter of tomorrow, after tomorrow. It’ll be a few weeks until I’m back to the level I want to be.”

Zverev’s early promise is yet to yield a Grand Slam singles title and the 2020 US Open runner-up said he did not have high expectations ahead of the Australian Open starting on Jan 16.

“It’s tough to set expectations high right now. It would be unrealistic and also quite stupid for me to set the expectations towards winning or something like that,” said the 2020 semi-finalist.

“Of course, I want to win. Everybody wants to win. For me, it’s about getting back the form that I’m used to.”

On Saturday, the two-time ATP Finals champion hit eight double faults in his lost to Lehecka at Sydney’s Ken Rosewall Arena to give the Czech Republic a 1-0 lead against Germany.

The Czechs won 2-0 after Marie Bouzkova beat Jule Niemeier 6-2, 7-5 in the later clash.

Also in Sydney, Spain’s 22-time Grand Slam champion Nadal will be up against Britain’s Cameron Norrie seeking his fifth straight win over the world No. 14.

Polish women’s No. 1 Iga Swiatek, who has led the rankings for 39 weeks, faces Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan at Brisbane’s Pat Rafter Arena, having won their only previous meeting in straight sets. AFP