The Cincinnati Open needs to introduce a major rule change after what happened with Alexander Zverev and Cameron Norrie

Alexander Zverev survived a thriller against Cameron Norrie to confirm his place in the third round of the Cincinnati Open, but it once again showcased one of the worst aspects of tennis.

Zverev lost the first set against the Briton, before firing a stunning response to win the next two sets by the same scoreline of 6-3 to win the match.

The pair played the last match of the order of play on the Cincinnati Open’s main court, and the length of the match ensured they played into the early hours of the morning.

Zverev and Norrie didn’t finish their match until after 2am, which is frankly not acceptable.

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Professional sports star should not be expected to play into the early hours of the morning, as it is frankly too dangerous for the players at this point.

After the match, Zverev and Norrie would still be expected to conduct their press conferences after their match and they need to warm down and work on their recovery.

The players will likely not be going to bed until 5am at the earliest, which could absolutely derail Zverev’s chances of going deep into the rest of the tournament.

Even with a day off between, Zverev will struggle to get himself back on track following his epic battle against Norrie.

It should not be allowed that a player must play into the early hours and disrupt their schedules, particularly after Zverev has made the effort to play both Masters tournaments prior to the US Open.

Zverev has been the top seed at both the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Open and his late match at the latter could disrupt his preparation for the final Grand Slam of the year.

There should absolutely be a curfew put in place for every ATP Tour tournament on the calendar, as it would show players the respect they so clearly are not being shown at present.

Zverev will now play Terence Atmane for a place in the fourth round and it will be fascinating to see how it gets on in his next match at the Cincinnati Open.

Should he exit the tournament, there should be a discussion about players’ health and safety when it comes to playing late into the night, as the current format is not at all sustainable.

It’s not good for the players, or the fans in attendance, and it should be nipped in the bud on both the ATP and WTA Tours going forward. Tournaments like Wimbledon do it, and everyone else should follow suit.