Olympic champion Alexander Zverev is bracing himself for a difficult return into the tennis elite from a long-term ankle injury. Former world number 2 Zverev has not played since rupturing ankle ligaments in early June at the French Open and plans to play his first games at exhibition tournaments in the Middle East before returning to the tour for the start of the season at the end of December. “I know that I have not played in seven months and won’t be playing my best tennis right from the start,” Zverev said on Monday at a sports good trade fair in Munich. The German said he aimed to return …