Matteo Berrettini screams in agony after twisting his ankle; Italian taken off court in wheelchair after retirement at US Open 2023

Matteo Berrettini's injury woes continued, as he was forced to retire midway through his second-round clash at the 2023 US Open after taking a hard fall and twisting his ankle.

The 27-year-old went up against Arthur Rinderknech of France in the second round in New York on Thursday. After losing the first set 6-4, the World No. 36 was trailing in the second set 3-5 when he suffered the injury.

Berrettini slumped to the ground in a heap immediately after rolling his ankle in the middle of a rally.

His retirement became obvious almost instantly, as the Italian let out a guttural scream of agony. The medical team on site was quick to rush to his side, helping him hobble over to his bench.

Unable to continue playing, the former World No. 6 had to leave the court on a wheelchair (video posted by Twitter id: '@heythereokayyas').

Rinderknech will now take on either Gael Monfils or Andrey Rublev in the third round of the US Open.

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Matteo Berrettini drops out of top 50 in live ATP rankings

Matteo Berrettini is projected to drop out of the top 50 in the ATP rankings.

Courtesy the second-round exit at the 2023 US Open, Matteo Berrettini has dropped out of the top 50 in the live ATP rankings. The former World No. 6 was defending 360 points at Flushing Meadows, having reached the quarterfinals last year.

In 2022, Berrettini beat Nicolas Jarry, Hugo Grenier, Andy Murray and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina to reach the last eight. However, he could not get the better of Casper Ruud, falling to the eventual finalist in straight sets.

It has been a rather disappointing year for Matteo Berrettini, especially at the Grand Slams. After a shocking first-round loss at the Australian Open, the 27-year-old missed the French Open due to injury. At Wimbledon, he reached the fourth round before falling to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz in four sets.

The World No. 36 was set to compete in the ATP 500 event in Beijing after the US Open, which is scheduled to take place from September 28 to October 4. However, considering the extent of his latest injury, it's highly unlikely that the Italian will make the trip to China next month.