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Recreational competitors are being offered the possibility to earn one million Australian dollars when they take on elite players - headed by world number one Carlos Alcaraz - in a winner-takes-all point leading up to the Australian Grand Slam

Tournament officials of the Melbourne major have revealed the Seven-Figure Quick-Fire Competition, which will pair 10 amateur players against top-ranked players in a single-elimination format at the Australian Open venue

How the Event Will Work

Participants must play 'the decision-making game' to decide who takes the serve or return position, and the competitor securing the point will progress to the next round

The victor of the event will take home approximately half a million pounds

By comparison, players who advanced to the penultimate round of the main draw competitions in the last edition won A$1.1m

Past Related Competitions

The New York major staged a redesigned, standalone combined gender tournament in August which encouraged top singles players to participate, with the victors receiving one million US dollars

The Australian Open held its debut quick-fire event earlier this year, but the total purse was sixty thousand Australian dollars and it generated little publicity

Andrey Rublev was the only top-10 player competing, and his campaign came to an end when he put the one and only serve allowed failing to clear the net in his last eight match

Tournament Details

Planners have not specified precisely how the event will function, but it is anticipated to mirror a comparable structure to the most recent iteration

The top competitors will be allowed to make one service and the amateurs two times - as is the usual procedure in standard play

While it is unclear how the bracket will work, there will be five knockout rounds and the site will be the primary court rather than the smaller Kia Arena

The last matches will occur in a nighttime schedule instead of midday timing

Entry Details

Domestic competitors - or international players who have enrolled with Tennis Australia - can compete in 'One Point Slam' tournaments at their neighborhood facilities

The victors of the local competitions will then go into a draw, with a single non-professional from every state and territory chosen to participate in the 'championship round' in a evening match on the specified date

There will also be a entry tournament in December which non-professionals, aspiring competitors, well-known figures and sports personalities can participate in

It begins on Monday, 12 January and the two winners will advance to the following day's 'grand finale' with the additional everyday players and top-ranked athletes

"No matter your experience, the ultimate winner will walk away with the prize. Entries will begin shortly at facilities across the country"

Event organizers said there were "additional stars to be announced soon", while the event portal said "famous personalities" would be participating