🔗 Share this article

Amateur players are getting the possibility to claim a seven-figure prize when they face world-class athletes - including world number one Carlos Alcaraz - in a single-point showdown prior to the year's first major

Event planners of the year's first Grand Slam have announced the Million Dollar One Point Slam, which will match a dozen non-professionals against 22 professionals in a elimination competition at Melbourne Park

The Unique Competition Operates

Competitors are set to play 'rock, paper, scissors' to determine who gets to serve or return, and whoever wins the point will advance to the subsequent phase

The winner of the event will take home £490,000

Contextually, players who made it to the final four of the primary tournaments in the previous year's tournament won substantial prize money

Previous Similar Events

The New York major staged a restructured, separate combined gender tournament in late summer which motivated top singles players to compete, with the victors receiving a million-dollar prize

The Melbourne tournament held its first-ever One Point Slam this year, but the total purse was a smaller amount and it generated little publicity

One top competitor was the only top-10 player participating, and his progress came to an end when he directed the single service opportunity allowed into the mesh in his last eight match

Tournament Information

Organizers have not specified precisely how the event will work, but it is expected to mirror a similar format to the most recent iteration

The professionals will be permitted to have a single serve and the amateurs two times - as is the norm in traditional tennis

While it is unclear how the pairings will work, there will be five knockout rounds and the location will be the Rod Laver Arena rather than the secondary venue

The concluding rounds will take place in a evening slot instead of 1pm local time

Competitor Information

Any Australians - or foreign participants who have registered with the governing body - can enter 'single-point competition' events at their neighborhood facilities

The victors of the grassroots tournaments will then go into a selection process, with a single non-professional from every geographic division chosen to participate in the 'grand finale' in a night session on the specified date

There will also be a preliminary competition in late year which amateurs, lower ranked pros, celebrities and athletic celebrities can participate in

It commences on early January and the two winners will go into Wednesday's 'grand finale' with the remaining non-professionals and top-ranked athletes

"No matter your experience, the ultimate winner will walk away with the reward. Registrations will begin shortly at facilities nationwide"

Tournament officials mentioned there were "additional stars to be announced soon", while the tournament site said "celebrities" would be involved