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Recreational competitors will have the chance to win one million Australian dollars when they take on elite players - including world number one Carlos Alcaraz - in a winner-takes-all point prior to the year's first major

Tournament officials of the Australian Open have revealed the $1 Million Single-Point Tournament, which will pair 10 amateur players against top-ranked players in a elimination competition at the Australian Open venue

How the Event Will Work

Competitors are set to play 'the decision-making game' to establish who gets to serve or return, and the player who wins the point will advance to the subsequent phase

The champion of the event will take home approximately half a million pounds

Contextually, players who made it to the semi-finals of the primary tournaments in the previous year's tournament won substantial prize money

Previous Related Competitions

The American Grand Slam staged a revamped, standalone mixed doubles tournament in late summer 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 total purse was A$60,000 and it generated little publicity

The Russian player was the only top-10 player competing, and his progress finished when he sent the single service opportunity allowed into the net in his last eight match

Tournament Specifics

Organizers have not specified precisely how the event will function, but it is anticipated to follow a akin setup to the most recent iteration

The elite players will be granted to serve once and the everyday players twice - as is the usual procedure in standard play

While it is not certain how the bracket will work, there will be several competitive phases and the site will be the Rod Laver Arena rather than the alternative court

The last matches will be held in a night session instead of 1pm local time

Entry Details

Any Australians - or international players who have signed up with the governing body - can participate in 'quick-match event' tournaments at their community centers

The winners of the local competitions will then go into a draw, with an everyday competitor from every state and territory chosen to take part in the 'final competition' in a evening match on mid-January

There will also be a entry tournament in the final month which everyday players, lower ranked pros, famous personalities and sports personalities can compete in

It begins on early January and the pair of champions will go into the midweek 'championship match' with the additional everyday players and elite competitors

"No matter your experience, the final champion will walk away with the award. Applications will start imminently at venues throughout the nation"

Competition planners said there were "additional stars to be unveiled imminently", while the tournament site mentioned "famous personalities" would be involved