Recreational competitors will have the chance to earn a seven-figure prize when they take on tennis' top professionals - featuring top-ranked the Spanish champion - in a one-point battle before the Australian Grand Slam
Tournament officials of the Australian Open have announced the $1 Million Single-Point Tournament, which will pit 10 amateur players against elite athletes in a elimination competition at the tournament grounds
The Unique Event Will Work
Participants must play 'the classic hand game' to determine who serves or receives, and the player who wins the point will move forward to the following stage
The victor of the event will take home £490,000
For comparison, players who reached the semi-finals of the primary tournaments in the previous year's tournament won A$1.1m
Past Similar Events
The American Grand Slam staged a redesigned, independent mixed doubles tournament in August which prompted top singles players to compete, with the champions receiving one million US dollars
The year's first major held its inaugural quick-fire event in the current season, but the cash prize was A$60,000 and it had limited exposure
Andrey Rublev was the single high-ranked athlete involved, and his progress finished when he put the one and only serve granted into the mesh in his quarter-final
Event Details
Officials have not said exactly how the event will function, but it is anticipated to emulate a akin setup to the previous version
The top competitors will be permitted to serve once and the amateurs twice - as is the standard practice in standard play
While it is not certain how the draw will work, there will be several competitive phases and the venue will be the primary court rather than the secondary venue
The final stages will take place in a night session instead of 1pm local time
Entry Information
Local players - or foreign participants who have registered with the governing body - can compete in 'One Point Slam' events at their neighborhood facilities
The victors of the grassroots tournaments will then go into a selection process, with an everyday competitor from every region and area picked to participate in the 'final competition' in a evening match on Wednesday, 14 January
There will also be a preliminary competition in the final month which non-professionals, developing professionals, well-known figures and sports personalities can compete in
It commences on the starting date and the pair of champions will advance to the following day's 'grand finale' with the additional everyday players and elite competitors
"Regardless of your skill level, the final champion will receive the award. Registrations will begin shortly at facilities nationwide"
Tournament officials mentioned there were "more big names to be unveiled imminently", while the official website said "famous personalities" would be participating
