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Recreational competitors are getting the possibility to earn a seven-figure prize when they face elite players - including top-ranked the Spanish champion - in a single-point showdown prior to January's Australian Open

Tournament officials of the year's first Grand Slam have announced the Million Dollar One Point Slam, which will pair a dozen non-professionals against top-ranked players in a single-elimination format at the tournament grounds

This Innovative Event Will Work

Participants must play 'rock, paper, scissors' to decide who serves or receives, and whoever wins the point will advance to the next round

The victor of the event will receive a significant cash prize

For comparison, players who reached the final four of the main draw competitions in the previous year's tournament won over a million Australian dollars

Past Related Competitions

The US Open staged a redesigned, independent mixed doubles tournament in late summer which encouraged top singles players to take part, with the champions receiving a million-dollar prize

The Australian Open held its first-ever single-point competition this year, but the cash prize was a smaller amount and it had limited exposure

The Russian player was the single high-ranked athlete competing, and his progress concluded when he put the single service opportunity permitted failing to clear the net in his penultimate round

Event Information

Planners have not detailed exactly how the event will work, but it is anticipated to follow a comparable structure to this year's edition

The top competitors will be allowed to serve once and the non-professionals on two occasions - as is the standard practice in conventional tennis

While it is not certain how the pairings will work, there will be multiple elimination stages and the venue will be the Rod Laver Arena rather than the alternative court

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

Competitor Details

Any Australians - or foreign participants who have signed up with the national federation - can participate in 'single-point competition' tournaments at their neighborhood facilities

The winners of the grassroots tournaments will then go into a random pairing, with a single non-professional from every state and territory chosen to compete in the 'grand finale' in a night session on the specified date

There will also be a qualifying draw in late year which non-professionals, aspiring competitors, well-known figures and sport stars can participate in

It commences on early January and the two winners will advance to Wednesday's 'grand finale' with the remaining non-professionals and top-ranked athletes

"Regardless of your skill level, the overall victor will walk away with the award. Entries will start imminently at clubs across the country"

Event organizers stated there were "additional stars to be revealed shortly", while the tournament site said "celebrities" would be taking part