Carlos Alcaraz Set to Compete Against Non-Professionals in Seven-Figure Single-Point Showdown

Everyday tennis enthusiasts will have the possibility to win one million Australian dollars when they face tennis' top professionals - featuring world number one the Spanish champion - in a single-point showdown before the year's first major

Tournament officials of the year's first Grand Slam have unveiled the $1 Million Single-Point Tournament, which will match everyday competitors against 22 professionals in a knockout tournament at the Australian Open venue

The Unique Event Will Work

Players will play 'rock, paper, scissors' to establish who serves or receives, and the player who wins the point will move forward to the next round

The victor of the event will earn £490,000

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

Past Similar Events

The US Open hosted a restructured, separate mixed doubles tournament in the eighth month which motivated top singles players to take part, with the champions receiving a million-dollar prize

The year's first major held its inaugural One Point Slam earlier this year, but the cash prize was a smaller amount and it generated little publicity

One top competitor was the sole elite competitor involved, and his progress concluded when he sent the sole serving chance allowed into the net in his last eight match

Tournament Details

Planners have not said exactly how the event will work, but it is anticipated to follow a akin setup to this year's edition

The elite players will be granted to serve once and the everyday players twice - as is the norm in conventional tennis

While it is unclear how the bracket will work, there will be multiple elimination stages and the site will be the Rod Laver Arena rather than the secondary venue

The concluding rounds will occur in a evening slot instead of early afternoon

Competitor Information

Any Australians - or international players who have registered with the national federation - can participate in 'One Point Slam' competitions at their neighborhood facilities

The victors of the local competitions will then go into a selection process, with a single non-professional from every geographic division selected to compete in the 'grand finale' in a night session on Wednesday, 14 January

There will also be a entry tournament in December which everyday players, lower ranked pros, famous personalities and sports personalities can enter

It starts on Monday, 12 January and the successful competitors will qualify for Wednesday's 'final showdown' with the additional everyday players and top-ranked athletes

"Whether you're an amateur or a pro, the final champion will receive the award. Registrations will begin shortly at clubs nationwide"

Tournament officials stated there were "additional stars to be revealed shortly", while the official website indicated "famous personalities" would be participating