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Recreational competitors will have the chance to win A$1m when they face tennis' top professionals - headed by leading player Carlos Alcaraz - in a one-point battle prior to the year's first major

Event planners of the year's first Grand Slam have unveiled the $1 Million Single-Point Tournament, which will pair everyday competitors against elite athletes in a single-elimination format at the Australian Open venue

How the Tournament Functions

Participants must play 'the classic hand game' to determine who gets to serve or return, and the competitor securing the point will progress to the subsequent phase

The victor of the event will earn a significant cash prize

For comparison, players who made it to the final four of the primary tournaments in the last edition won over a million Australian dollars

Past Related Competitions

The New York major organized a revamped, standalone combined gender tournament in August which prompted top singles players to take part, with the winners receiving $1m

The Melbourne tournament held its debut single-point competition earlier this year, but the cash prize was a smaller amount and it generated little publicity

Andrey Rublev was the only top-10 player participating, and his campaign concluded when he directed the sole serving chance permitted into the mesh in his last eight match

Competition Details

Planners have not specified precisely how the event will work, but it is projected to emulate a similar format to the most recent iteration

The professionals will be granted to have a single serve and the everyday players twice - as is the norm in traditional tennis

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

The concluding rounds will be held in a night session instead of early afternoon

Entry Requirements

Any Australians - or overseas competitors who have enrolled with Tennis Australia - can participate in 'One Point Slam' competitions at their local tennis clubs

The winners of the local competitions will then go into a random pairing, with a single non-professional from every geographic division picked to participate in the 'final competition' in a nighttime event on mid-January

There will also be a qualifying draw in the final month which amateurs, developing professionals, celebrities and sport stars can participate in

It starts on the starting date and the successful competitors will advance to the midweek 'championship match' with the remaining non-professionals and elite competitors

"Whether you're an amateur or a pro, the final champion will receive the reward. Registrations will open soon at clubs nationwide"

Tournament officials said there were "more big names to be announced soon", while the tournament site indicated "well-known figures" would be involved