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Everyday tennis enthusiasts are getting the chance to claim one million Australian dollars when they take on world-class athletes - featuring leading player Carlos Alcaraz - in a one-point battle before January's Australian Open

Tournament officials of the Australian Open have announced the Million Dollar One Point Slam, which will match 10 amateur players against 22 professionals in a knockout tournament at the Australian Open venue

How the Event Will Work

Participants must play 'rock, paper, scissors' to establish who gets to serve or return, and the player who wins the point will move forward to the next round

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

For comparison, players who made it to the semi-finals of the primary tournaments in the previous year's tournament won substantial prize money

Previous Comparable Tournaments

The New York major hosted a revamped, independent combined gender tournament in the eighth month which prompted top singles players to compete, with the victors receiving a million-dollar prize

The Australian Open held its debut One Point Slam in the current season, but the total purse was sixty thousand Australian dollars and it generated little publicity

The Russian player was the sole elite competitor competing, and his run concluded when he sent the sole serving chance allowed into the mesh in his penultimate round

Event Information

Planners have not said exactly how the event will work, but it is projected to follow a akin setup to the most recent iteration

The professionals will be granted to serve once and the everyday players twice - as is the norm in conventional tennis

While it is uncertain how the draw will work, there will be multiple elimination stages and the venue will be the Rod Laver Arena rather than the secondary venue

The concluding rounds will be held in a night session instead of midday timing

Entry Requirements

Any Australians - or overseas competitors who have enrolled with the national federation - can participate in 'quick-match event' events at their local tennis clubs

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

There will also be a preliminary competition in December which everyday players, aspiring competitors, celebrities and sport stars can enter

It starts on early January and the successful competitors will qualify for the midweek 'grand finale' with the remaining non-professionals and elite competitors

"Whether you're an amateur or a pro, the overall victor will receive the prize. Applications will start imminently at facilities throughout the nation"

Tournament officials mentioned there were "additional stars to be announced soon", while the tournament site indicated "celebrities" would be taking part