Alcaraz Ready to Battle Amateurs in Seven-Figure Single-Point Showdown

Recreational competitors are getting the possibility to earn A$1m when they compete against elite players - including world number one the Spanish champion - in a winner-takes-all point before January's Australian Open

Organizers of the Australian Open have revealed the Million Dollar One Point Slam, which will pair 10 amateur players against top-ranked players in a single-elimination format at the Australian Open venue

The Unique Competition Operates

Players will play 'rock, paper, scissors' to determine who gets to serve or return, and the competitor securing the point will progress to the next round

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

By comparison, players who reached the semi-finals of the primary tournaments in the last edition won substantial prize money

Past Comparable Tournaments

The New York major staged a redesigned, standalone combined gender tournament in August which prompted top singles players to take part, with the winners receiving one million US dollars

The year's first major held its inaugural quick-fire event earlier this year, but the prize fund was sixty thousand Australian dollars and it generated little publicity

Andrey Rublev was the only top-10 player involved, and his progress came to an end when he put the single service opportunity granted into the net in his quarter-final

Competition Specifics

Planners have not detailed exactly how the event will work, but it is anticipated to mirror a comparable structure to the most recent iteration

The elite players will be granted to serve once and the amateurs twice - as is the norm in traditional tennis

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

The final stages will take place in a evening slot instead of 1pm local time

Entry Requirements

Any Australians - or international players who have enrolled with the national federation - can compete in 'One Point Slam' competitions at their neighborhood facilities

The winners of the grassroots tournaments will then go into a selection process, with an everyday competitor from every state and territory chosen to take part in the 'final competition' in a evening match on Wednesday, 14 January

There will also be a preliminary competition in the final month which non-professionals, lower ranked pros, well-known figures and athletic celebrities can compete in

It begins on the starting date and the pair of champions will qualify for the midweek 'final showdown' with the additional everyday players and top-ranked athletes

"No matter your experience, the overall victor will receive the reward. Registrations will open soon at facilities throughout the nation"

Event organizers said there were "more big names to be announced soon", while the event portal mentioned "famous personalities" would be involved