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Recreational competitors are being offered the possibility to claim one million Australian dollars when they take on tennis' top professionals - featuring top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz - in a winner-takes-all point leading up to the year's first major

Tournament officials of the year's first Grand Slam have unveiled the Seven-Figure Quick-Fire Competition, which will match a dozen non-professionals against 22 professionals in a single-elimination format at Melbourne Park

This Innovative Competition Operates

Competitors are set to play 'the classic hand game' to determine who takes the serve or return position, and the competitor securing the point will advance to the subsequent phase

The victor of the event will receive a significant cash prize

By comparison, players who reached the penultimate round of the main draw competitions in the last edition won over a million Australian dollars

Earlier Similar Events

The New York major staged a restructured, standalone combined gender tournament in late summer which motivated top singles players to participate, with the victors receiving $1m

The Australian Open held its first-ever quick-fire event in the current season, but the total purse was sixty thousand Australian dollars and it had limited exposure

One top competitor was the sole elite competitor competing, and his run finished when he put the single service opportunity granted into the mesh in his last eight match

Competition Specifics

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

The top competitors will be granted to have a single serve and the everyday players on two occasions - as is the standard practice in conventional tennis

While it is uncertain how the pairings will work, there will be five knockout rounds and the site will be the main stadium rather than the secondary venue

The final stages will occur in a evening slot instead of midday timing

Competitor Details

Local players - or foreign participants who have registered with Tennis Australia - can compete in 'One Point Slam' tournaments at their local tennis clubs

The champions of the community events will then go into a selection process, with a single non-professional from every geographic division picked to take part in the 'final competition' in a nighttime event on the specified date

There will also be a qualifying draw in the final month which amateurs, lower ranked pros, famous personalities and sports personalities can enter

It begins on Monday, 12 January and the two winners will advance to Wednesday's 'final showdown' with the additional everyday players and 10 professionals

"Whether you're an amateur or a pro, the ultimate winner will claim the award. Registrations will open soon at clubs across the country"

Competition planners said there were "further celebrities to be revealed shortly", while the event portal said "famous personalities" would be involved