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Everyday tennis enthusiasts are getting an opportunity to earn A$1m when they compete against world-class athletes - headed by top-ranked the Spanish champion - in a one-point battle before January's Australian Open

Organizers of the year's first Grand Slam have unveiled the Million Dollar One Point Slam, which will match 10 amateur players against top-ranked players in a single-elimination format at the tournament grounds

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 progress to the following stage

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

By comparison, players who reached the penultimate round of the primary tournaments in the previous year's tournament won substantial prize money

Past Related Competitions

The US Open hosted a revamped, standalone mixed doubles tournament in the eighth month which motivated top singles players to take part, with the champions receiving a million-dollar prize

The Melbourne tournament held its inaugural single-point competition earlier this year, but the cash prize was A$60,000 and it generated little publicity

One top competitor was the only top-10 player involved, and his progress finished when he put the sole serving chance granted into the mesh in his last eight match

Tournament Information

Organizers have not detailed exactly how the event will operate, but it is projected to mirror a akin setup to the most recent iteration

The top competitors will be granted to serve once and the non-professionals two times - as is the standard practice in traditional tennis

While it is unclear how the bracket will work, there will be five knockout rounds and the location will be the main stadium rather than the secondary venue

The concluding rounds will take place in a night session instead of early afternoon

Competitor Details

Domestic competitors - or overseas competitors who have enrolled with the national federation - can participate in 'single-point competition' events at their local tennis clubs

The champions of the local competitions will then go into a draw, with an everyday competitor from every geographic division chosen to take part in the 'grand finale' in a night session on Wednesday, 14 January

There will also be a entry tournament in the final month which amateurs, lower ranked pros, celebrities and sport stars can compete in

It begins on the starting date and the two winners will qualify for the following day's 'final showdown' with the additional everyday players and elite competitors

"Regardless of your skill level, the overall victor will receive the prize. Registrations will start imminently at venues throughout the nation"

Event organizers mentioned there were "more big names to be announced soon", while the tournament site indicated "celebrities" would be participating