Wimbledon champs to get $3million each

London: The total prize money at Wimbledon this year will rise by more than 11%, with the winners of the singles each getting 2.35 million pounds ($3 million).

The total prize fund at the championships will be 44.7 million pounds ($56.5 million), the All England Club said Wednesday. That is an increase of 17.1% compared to 2019, the last Wimbledon before the pandemic. The earnings for the winners of the singles competitions are back to the levels they were in 2019. The prize for the singles champions had dipped to 1.7 million pounds in 2021, after the tournament was canceled in 2020, and was 2 million last year. Officials said a priority was placed on supporting players in the early rounds. Those who lose in the first round will earn 55,000 pounds ($69,500), a 10% increase from last year. (AP)

Nick Kyrgios lost on his comeback from knee surgery 7-5, 6-3 to Chinese player Wu Yibing in the first round of the Stuttgart Open. The 2022 Wimbledon finalist looked far from his best in his first match of the year. Kyrgios, a two-time semifinalist in Stuttgart, was playing for the first time since October in Tokyo. The 28-year-old Australian had a knee operation in January. Wu, who was playing his first professional match on grass, next faces Marton Fucsovics, who rallied to beat Denis Shapovalov 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Fifth-seeded American Tommy Paul defeated Benjamin Bonzi 6-3, 6-4. Also, French player Gregoire Barrere defeated home favorite Oscar Otte 6-4, 6-3 and Australia's Christopher O'Connell eased past another German, Daniel Altmaier, 6-3, 6-1.