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Everyday tennis enthusiasts will have the possibility to win A$1m when they compete against world-class athletes - including top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz - in a winner-takes-all point prior to January's Australian Open

Tournament officials of the Melbourne major have unveiled the $1 Million Single-Point Tournament, which will match a dozen non-professionals against elite athletes in a elimination competition at the Australian Open venue

How the Tournament Functions

Players will play 'the classic hand game' to establish who serves or receives, and the player who wins the point will progress to the subsequent phase

The victor of the event will receive a significant cash prize

By comparison, players who made it to the semi-finals of the main draw competitions in the last edition won A$1.1m

Past Comparable Tournaments

The American Grand Slam hosted a revamped, standalone mixed doubles tournament in late summer which encouraged top singles players to take part, with the champions receiving $1m

The year's first major held its inaugural One Point Slam earlier this year, but the total purse was a smaller amount and it received minimal attention

The Russian player was the sole elite competitor competing, and his progress finished when he directed the single service opportunity permitted into the net in his penultimate round

Tournament Information

Planners have not specified precisely how the event will work, but it is expected to follow a akin setup to this year's edition

The professionals will be permitted to serve once and the non-professionals twice - as is the usual procedure in standard play

While it is uncertain how the bracket will work, there will be multiple elimination stages and the location will be the primary court rather than the smaller Kia Arena

The last matches will take place in a nighttime schedule instead of early afternoon

Participation Information

Any Australians - or foreign participants who have registered with the governing body - can compete in 'single-point competition' events at their local tennis clubs

The champions of the local competitions will then go into a random pairing, with an everyday competitor from every state and territory chosen to take part in the 'championship round' in a evening match on Wednesday, 14 January

There will also be a entry tournament in late year which amateurs, lower ranked pros, well-known figures and sports personalities can compete in

It commences on the starting date and the two winners will advance to the midweek 'final showdown' with the additional everyday players and elite competitors

"No matter your experience, the final champion will claim the reward. Registrations will begin shortly at clubs throughout the nation"

Event organizers mentioned there were "further celebrities to be announced soon", while the event portal said "well-known figures" would be participating