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Recreational competitors are being offered the chance to claim A$1m when they face tennis' top professionals - featuring world number one Carlos Alcaraz - in a single-point showdown before January's Australian Open

Tournament officials of the Melbourne major have unveiled the Million Dollar One Point Slam, which will pair everyday competitors against top-ranked players in a knockout tournament at the Australian Open venue

How the Tournament Functions

Participants must play 'the decision-making game' to establish who serves or receives, and whoever wins the point will progress to the subsequent phase

The champion of the event will earn a significant cash prize

For comparison, players who reached the semi-finals of the men's or women's singles in the last edition won over a million Australian dollars

Earlier Similar Events

The US Open staged a revamped, independent combined gender tournament in August which motivated top singles players to compete, with the champions receiving one million US dollars

The Australian Open held its debut One Point Slam earlier this year, but the prize fund was sixty thousand Australian dollars and it had limited exposure

The Russian player was the sole elite competitor involved, and his run finished when he directed the one and only serve allowed into the net in his last eight match

Tournament Information

Planners have not specified precisely how the event will function, but it is anticipated to emulate a akin setup to this year's edition

The elite players will be allowed to make one service and the amateurs on two occasions - as is the standard practice in standard play

While it is unclear how the draw will work, there will be multiple elimination stages and the location will be the Rod Laver Arena rather than the alternative court

The final stages will occur in a night session instead of early afternoon

Participation Information

Local players - or overseas competitors who have enrolled with the national federation - can participate in 'single-point competition' competitions at their community centers

The victors of the local competitions will then go into a draw, with one amateur player from every geographic division chosen to take part in the 'final competition' in a evening match on mid-January

There will also be a qualifying draw in late year which amateurs, lower ranked pros, famous personalities and sport stars can compete in

It commences on Monday, 12 January and the pair of champions will go into the following day's 'championship match' with the remaining non-professionals and top-ranked athletes

"Regardless of your skill level, the overall victor will receive the reward. Registrations will open soon at facilities across the country"

Event organizers said there were "additional stars to be revealed shortly", while the event portal mentioned "celebrities" would be taking part