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Everyday tennis enthusiasts are being offered the possibility to earn A$1m when they compete against elite players - featuring top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz - in a one-point battle before the year's first major

Event planners of the Australian Open have unveiled the $1 Million Single-Point Tournament, which will pair a dozen non-professionals against elite athletes in a elimination competition at the tournament grounds

This Innovative Event Will Work

Competitors are set to play 'the classic hand game' to establish who serves or receives, and whoever wins the point will progress to the following stage

The victor of the event will take home a significant cash prize

For comparison, players who reached the final four of the primary tournaments in the last edition won substantial prize money

Past Related Competitions

The New York major staged a restructured, standalone mixed doubles tournament in August which encouraged top singles players to participate, with the victors receiving $1m

The Australian Open held its debut quick-fire event earlier this year, but the prize fund was a smaller amount and it received minimal attention

The Russian player was the single high-ranked athlete participating, and his campaign came to an end when he put the single service opportunity permitted into the mesh in his last eight match

Event Details

Planners have not specified precisely how the event will work, but it is expected to follow a comparable structure to the previous version

The elite players will be permitted to have a single serve and the amateurs twice - as is the standard practice in traditional tennis

While it is unclear how the bracket will work, there will be multiple elimination stages and the venue will be the main stadium rather than the smaller Kia Arena

The concluding rounds will take place in a night session instead of early afternoon

Participation Details

Domestic competitors - or overseas competitors who have enrolled with the national federation - can enter 'One Point Slam' tournaments at their neighborhood facilities

The winners of the grassroots tournaments will then go into a draw, with an everyday competitor from every state and territory picked to take part in the 'grand finale' in a night session on Wednesday, 14 January

There will also be a qualifying draw in December which amateurs, aspiring competitors, celebrities and sport stars can compete in

It commences on early January and the two winners will go into the following day's 'final showdown' with the additional everyday players and top-ranked athletes

"Whether you're an amateur or a pro, the final champion will claim the reward. Applications will begin shortly at facilities throughout the nation"

Tournament officials said there were "more big names to be revealed shortly", while the tournament site indicated "famous personalities" would be taking part