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Everyday tennis enthusiasts are being offered the possibility to claim one million Australian dollars when they take on world-class athletes - featuring leading player Carlos Alcaraz - in a single-point showdown prior to the Australian Grand Slam

Tournament officials of the year's first Grand Slam have unveiled the $1 Million Single-Point Tournament, which will pit 10 amateur players against elite athletes in a elimination competition at the tournament grounds

How the Event Will Work

Competitors are set to play 'the classic hand game' to establish who gets to serve or return, and the competitor securing the point will advance to the subsequent phase

The victor of the event will receive a significant cash prize

For comparison, players who advanced to the semi-finals of the primary tournaments in the last edition won A$1.1m

Previous Similar Events

The US Open hosted a restructured, standalone combined gender tournament in late summer which motivated top singles players to participate, with the champions receiving $1m

The year's first major held its debut single-point competition earlier this year, but the total purse was a smaller amount and it received minimal attention

Andrey Rublev was the only top-10 player involved, and his campaign finished when he put the one and only serve allowed into the net in his quarter-final

Competition Details

Officials have not specified precisely how the event will work, but it is projected to mirror a comparable structure to the most recent iteration

The top competitors will be permitted to make one service and the amateurs twice - as is the usual procedure in traditional tennis

While it is not certain how the pairings will work, there will be several competitive phases and the site will be the Rod Laver Arena rather than the alternative court

The final stages will be held in a night session instead of 1pm local time

Competitor Details

Local players - or overseas competitors who have signed up with the national federation - can enter 'One Point Slam' competitions at their community centers

The champions of the community events will then go into a draw, with one amateur player from every region and area selected to participate in the 'grand finale' in a evening match on mid-January

There will also be a entry tournament in the final month which amateurs, developing professionals, celebrities and athletic celebrities can enter

It commences on Monday, 12 January and the two winners will advance to Wednesday's 'grand finale' with the remaining non-professionals and 10 professionals

"Regardless of your skill level, the final champion will claim the reward. Entries will open soon at facilities across the country"

Competition planners stated there were "more big names to be revealed shortly", while the tournament site indicated "famous personalities" would be participating