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Everyday tennis enthusiasts are getting an opportunity to win a seven-figure prize when they take on elite players - featuring top-ranked the Spanish champion - in a winner-takes-all point 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 everyday competitors against top-ranked players in a single-elimination format at the tournament grounds

The Unique Competition Operates

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

The victor of the event will earn approximately half a million pounds

Contextually, players who advanced to the final four of the main draw competitions in the previous year's tournament won A$1.1m

Past Similar Events

The US Open organized a restructured, independent combined gender tournament in late summer which prompted top singles players to participate, with the winners receiving a million-dollar prize

The Australian Open held its first-ever One Point Slam this year, but the total purse was sixty thousand Australian dollars and it received minimal attention

Andrey Rublev was the only top-10 player involved, and his campaign came to an end when he put the single service opportunity granted into the mesh in his quarter-final

Tournament Details

Officials have not said exactly how the event will function, but it is expected to follow a akin setup to the previous version

The top competitors will be allowed to serve once and the amateurs twice - as is the norm in conventional tennis

While it is uncertain how the draw will work, there will be several competitive phases and the site will be the Rod Laver Arena rather than the secondary venue

The final stages will take place in a night session instead of early afternoon

Competitor Information

Local players - or foreign participants who have registered with Tennis Australia - can participate in 'single-point competition' events at their neighborhood facilities

The victors of the local competitions will then go into a random pairing, with a single non-professional from every region and area picked to take part in the 'grand finale' in a night session on Wednesday, 14 January

There will also be a entry tournament in the final month which everyday players, developing professionals, well-known figures and athletic celebrities can enter

It commences on early January and the successful competitors will go into Wednesday's 'final showdown' with the remaining non-professionals and 10 professionals

"No matter your experience, the overall victor will walk away with the prize. Entries will start imminently at venues throughout the nation"

Event organizers mentioned there were "further celebrities to be revealed shortly", while the tournament site mentioned "celebrities" would be taking part