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Recreational competitors are getting the possibility to win one million Australian dollars when they face elite players - headed by world number one Carlos Alcaraz - in a single-point showdown leading up to January's Australian Open

Event planners of the Melbourne major have revealed the $1 Million Single-Point Tournament, which will pit a dozen non-professionals against elite athletes in a elimination competition at Melbourne Park

The Unique Competition Operates

Competitors are set to play 'the decision-making game' to determine who serves or receives, and the player who wins the point will advance to the following stage

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

Contextually, players who advanced to the final four of the men's or women's singles in the last edition won substantial prize money

Earlier Related Competitions

The US Open organized a restructured, independent mixed doubles tournament in late summer which motivated top singles players to compete, with the winners receiving a million-dollar prize

The year's first major held its debut One Point Slam in the current season, but the prize fund was a smaller amount and it received minimal attention

Andrey Rublev was the single high-ranked athlete participating, and his campaign finished when he directed the one and only serve granted into the net in his quarter-final

Competition Information

Organizers have not detailed exactly how the event will function, but it is expected to mirror a similar format to the most recent iteration

The top competitors will be allowed to serve once and the everyday players two times - as is the usual procedure in conventional tennis

While it is uncertain how the draw will work, there will be several competitive phases and the site will be the Rod Laver Arena rather than the smaller Kia Arena

The concluding rounds will be held in a evening slot instead of early afternoon

Participation Information

Any Australians - or international players who have enrolled with Tennis Australia - can enter 'single-point competition' tournaments at their local tennis clubs

The champions of the local competitions will then go into a random pairing, with a single non-professional from every state and territory selected to take part in the 'grand finale' in a nighttime event on mid-January

There will also be a preliminary competition in the final month which everyday players, developing professionals, well-known figures and sports personalities can compete in

It starts on early January and the pair of champions will advance to the following day's 'final showdown' with the additional everyday players and top-ranked athletes

"Whether you're an amateur or a pro, the final champion will claim the reward. Entries will open soon at venues across the country"

Tournament officials mentioned there were "further celebrities to be announced soon", while the tournament site said "celebrities" would be taking part