Everyday tennis enthusiasts are being offered an opportunity to win a seven-figure prize when they take on world-class athletes - including world number one the Spanish champion - in a winner-takes-all point before the Australian Grand Slam
Event planners of the year's first Grand Slam have announced the $1 Million Single-Point Tournament, which will match 10 amateur players against elite athletes in a knockout tournament at Melbourne Park
This Innovative Competition Operates
Competitors are set to play 'rock, paper, scissors' to establish who takes the serve or return position, and the competitor securing the point will progress to the next round
The champion of the event will earn approximately half a million pounds
For comparison, players who advanced to the semi-finals of the main draw competitions in the previous year's tournament won over a million Australian dollars
Previous Comparable Tournaments
The US Open staged a restructured, separate combined gender tournament in the eighth month which motivated top singles players to compete, with the winners receiving $1m
The year's first major held its first-ever One Point Slam this year, but the prize fund was A$60,000 and it had limited exposure
One top competitor was the sole elite competitor competing, and his campaign came to an end when he sent the sole serving chance permitted into the mesh in his last eight match
Event Information
Planners have not said exactly how the event will operate, but it is expected to follow a comparable structure to the most recent iteration
The elite players will be permitted to have a single serve and the amateurs on two occasions - as is the norm in standard play
While it is not certain how the bracket will work, there will be several competitive phases and the venue will be the Rod Laver Arena rather than the smaller Kia Arena
The last matches will be held in a night session instead of midday timing
Competitor Details
Any Australians - or international players who have enrolled with Tennis Australia - can participate in 'One Point Slam' tournaments at their local tennis clubs
The champions of the local competitions will then go into a selection process, with one amateur player from every geographic division selected to participate in the 'grand finale' in a evening match on the specified date
There will also be a qualifying draw in late year which amateurs, aspiring competitors, famous personalities and sports personalities can participate in
It commences on Monday, 12 January and the two winners will go into Wednesday's 'grand finale' with the remaining non-professionals and top-ranked athletes
"Whether you're an amateur or a pro, the overall victor will walk away with the reward. Applications will begin shortly at facilities throughout the nation"
Tournament officials stated there were "additional stars to be revealed shortly", while the official website said "famous personalities" would be participating
