price doesn't have to reach the previous ATH for it to be considered in a recovery. what you are talking about in 2020 is the ATH being hit and a new one being set not the recovery itself. the recovery will happen this year for sure. the drops can not go on any longer since they have gone on long enough, you can't really expect price to drop 99.9%!!! we already have about 85% drop. and the sideways may continue for a while but they also can't go on forever. and they also have lasted long enough
Why can't we expect the price to drop so much?
Many altcoins including the top ones have dropped over 90% already (e.g. Litecoin has fallen 17 times from its ATH to its recent low). But how will Bitcoin be much different from them if things turn really bad for it? 3k is still a huge price from any point of view (other than looking at it from the 2017 highs) and there is a lot of room below, so to speak. I hope it won't be like that but saying it is impossible is not a good way to go in both trading and investing