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Recreational competitors will have the possibility to win A$1m when they face tennis' top professionals - featuring top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz - in a one-point battle before the year's first major

Organizers of the Melbourne major have announced the $1 Million Single-Point Tournament, which will match everyday competitors against elite athletes in a knockout tournament at the Australian Open venue

The Unique Competition Operates

Participants must play 'the decision-making game' to determine who gets to serve or return, and whoever wins the point will move forward to the subsequent phase

The victor of the event will receive £490,000

For comparison, players who advanced to the semi-finals of the primary tournaments in the last edition won over a million Australian dollars

Earlier Related Competitions

The US Open hosted a revamped, independent combined gender tournament in late summer which prompted top singles players to compete, with the champions receiving one million US dollars

The Melbourne tournament held its inaugural single-point competition earlier this year, but the cash prize was a smaller amount and it had limited exposure

One top competitor was the sole elite competitor involved, and his progress concluded when he put the single service opportunity granted into the net in his last eight match

Competition Details

Organizers have not specified precisely how the event will work, but it is expected to emulate a akin setup to the previous version

The top competitors will be allowed to serve once and the everyday players twice - as is the usual procedure in conventional tennis

While it is unclear how the bracket will work, there will be five knockout rounds and the site will be the primary court rather than the alternative court

The last matches will be held in a nighttime schedule instead of 1pm local time

Entry Information

Any Australians - or overseas competitors who have signed up with the governing body - can compete in 'single-point competition' tournaments at their community centers

The winners of the grassroots tournaments will then go into a selection process, with one amateur player from every geographic division chosen to take part in the 'grand finale' in a night session on mid-January

There will also be a entry tournament in December which everyday players, aspiring competitors, well-known figures and sport stars can enter

It begins on Monday, 12 January and the successful competitors will advance to the midweek 'championship match' with the additional everyday players and top-ranked athletes

"Whether you're an amateur or a pro, the overall victor will walk away with the award. Applications will begin shortly at venues nationwide"

Event organizers mentioned there were "additional stars to be announced soon", while the official website mentioned "famous personalities" would be taking part