Carlos Alcaraz to Face Amateurs in Seven-Figure Single-Point Showdown

Everyday tennis enthusiasts are being offered the chance to win a seven-figure prize when they take on world-class athletes - including world number one the Spanish champion - in a one-point battle leading up to the year's first major

Event planners of the Australian Open have unveiled the Million Dollar One Point Slam, which will pair 10 amateur players against top-ranked players in a knockout tournament at Melbourne Park

This Innovative Competition Operates

Players will play 'rock, paper, scissors' to decide who takes the serve or return position, and whoever wins the point will advance to the subsequent phase

The champion of the event will receive approximately half a million pounds

Contextually, players who reached the semi-finals of the main draw competitions in the last edition won A$1.1m

Earlier Comparable Tournaments

The US Open organized a restructured, separate mixed doubles tournament in August which prompted top singles players to participate, with the champions receiving $1m

The Australian Open held its first-ever single-point competition in the current season, but the total purse was A$60,000 and it had limited exposure

Andrey Rublev was the only top-10 player competing, and his progress concluded when he put the sole serving chance permitted failing to clear the net in his penultimate round

Tournament Details

Organizers have not detailed exactly how the event will function, but it is anticipated to emulate a akin setup to the previous version

The elite players will be permitted to serve once and the non-professionals on two occasions - as is the standard practice in standard play

While it is unclear how the pairings will work, there will be five knockout rounds and the site will be the primary court rather than the secondary venue

The last matches will occur in a evening slot instead of 1pm local time

Entry Information

Any Australians - or overseas competitors who have registered with the governing body - can compete in 'quick-match event' tournaments at their community centers

The champions of the local competitions will then go into a random pairing, with a single non-professional from every geographic division chosen to take part in the 'grand finale' in a evening match on Wednesday, 14 January

There will also be a entry tournament in December which everyday players, lower ranked pros, celebrities and sport stars can participate in

It begins on Monday, 12 January and the successful competitors will go into the following day's 'grand finale' with the additional everyday players and 10 professionals

"Whether you're an amateur or a pro, the ultimate winner will walk away with the prize. Applications will open soon at venues across the country"

Event organizers said there were "more big names to be announced soon", while the event portal said "celebrities" would be taking part