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Recreational competitors are being offered the chance to claim A$1m when they compete against world-class athletes - headed by world number one the Spanish champion - in a winner-takes-all point prior to the year's first major

Organizers of the Australian Open have revealed the Million Dollar One Point Slam, which will pair a dozen non-professionals against top-ranked players in a knockout tournament at the Australian Open venue

How the Event Will Work

Participants must play 'the classic hand game' to decide who gets to serve or return, and the player who wins the point will advance to the next round

The winner of the event will earn £490,000

By comparison, players who made it to the penultimate round of the primary tournaments in the previous year's tournament won over a million Australian dollars

Previous Related Competitions

The New York major staged a restructured, independent mixed doubles tournament in the eighth month which motivated top singles players to compete, with the victors receiving one million US dollars

The Melbourne tournament held its inaugural quick-fire event this year, but the cash prize was sixty thousand Australian dollars and it received minimal attention

Andrey Rublev was the only top-10 player involved, and his run concluded when he put the sole serving chance permitted into the mesh in his quarter-final

Event Details

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

The elite players will be allowed to make one service and the non-professionals on two occasions - as is the standard practice in traditional tennis

While it is not certain how the bracket will work, there will be multiple elimination stages and the venue will be the main stadium rather than the smaller Kia Arena

The last matches will be held in a night session instead of midday timing

Competitor Details

Any Australians - or foreign participants who have enrolled with Tennis Australia - can compete in 'quick-match event' events at their local tennis clubs

The champions of the local competitions will then go into a draw, with one amateur player from every geographic division chosen to compete in the 'grand finale' in a evening match on Wednesday, 14 January

There will also be a qualifying draw in December which everyday players, lower ranked pros, celebrities and sport stars can enter

It commences on the starting date and the two winners will go into the midweek 'grand finale' with the additional everyday players and elite competitors

"Regardless of your skill level, the ultimate winner will receive the prize. Entries will begin shortly at clubs throughout the nation"

Event organizers stated there were "further celebrities to be revealed shortly", while the official website said "well-known figures" would be participating