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Amateur players are getting the possibility to claim a seven-figure prize when they compete against tennis' top professionals - including leading player Carlos Alcaraz - in a single-point showdown prior to the Australian Grand Slam

Tournament officials of the Australian Open have revealed the $1 Million Single-Point Tournament, which will match 10 amateur players against 22 professionals in a single-elimination format at the Australian Open venue

The Unique Event Will Work

Players will play 'the decision-making game' to decide who serves or receives, and the player who wins the point will move forward to the subsequent phase

The winner of the event will earn approximately half a million pounds

For comparison, players who advanced to the penultimate round of the primary tournaments in the last edition won over a million Australian dollars

Past Related Competitions

The American Grand Slam staged a restructured, separate mixed doubles tournament in late summer which motivated top singles players to participate, with the champions receiving one million US dollars

The Australian Open held its inaugural quick-fire event earlier this year, but the cash prize was a smaller amount and it had limited exposure

One top competitor was the single high-ranked athlete participating, and his progress finished when he directed the sole serving chance allowed failing to clear the net in his quarter-final

Tournament Specifics

Planners have not said exactly how the event will work, but it is anticipated to follow a akin setup to the previous version

The elite players will be allowed to have a single serve and the non-professionals on two occasions - as is the standard practice in conventional tennis

While it is uncertain how the draw will work, there will be several competitive phases and the venue will be the primary court rather than the smaller Kia Arena

The last matches will occur in a night session instead of early afternoon

Participation Requirements

Any Australians - or foreign participants who have registered with the governing body - can enter 'One Point Slam' competitions at their community centers

The victors of the grassroots tournaments will then go into a random pairing, with one amateur player from every region and area picked to compete in the 'final competition' in a evening match on Wednesday, 14 January

There will also be a preliminary competition in December which non-professionals, lower ranked pros, well-known figures and sports personalities can compete in

It commences on the starting date and the two winners will advance to Wednesday's 'championship match' with the remaining non-professionals and elite competitors

"Regardless of your skill level, the final champion will walk away with the award. Applications will start imminently at clubs nationwide"

Tournament officials stated there were "further celebrities to be announced soon", while the event portal said "famous personalities" would be participating