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Amateur players are getting an opportunity to claim A$1m when they compete against world-class athletes - featuring world number one Carlos Alcaraz - in a single-point showdown prior to the Australian Grand Slam

Event planners of the Melbourne major have announced the $1 Million Single-Point Tournament, which will pair everyday competitors against 22 professionals in a knockout tournament at the tournament grounds

The Unique Event Will Work

Participants must play 'rock, paper, scissors' to establish who serves or receives, and the competitor securing the point will move forward to the next round

The winner of the event will earn a significant cash prize

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

Past Related Competitions

The US Open staged a revamped, standalone mixed doubles tournament in the eighth month which motivated top singles players to participate, with the victors receiving one million US dollars

The year's first major held its first-ever single-point competition earlier this year, but the total purse was sixty thousand Australian dollars and it received minimal attention

The Russian player was the only top-10 player involved, and his progress came to an end when he directed the one and only serve allowed into the net in his last eight match

Tournament Details

Officials have not detailed exactly how the event will operate, but it is expected to emulate a similar format to this year's edition

The professionals will be allowed to serve once and the everyday players twice - as is the standard practice in traditional tennis

While it is not certain how the draw will work, there will be several competitive phases and the site will be the primary court rather than the smaller Kia Arena

The concluding rounds will occur in a evening slot instead of 1pm local time

Participation Requirements

Local players - or foreign participants who have signed up with Tennis Australia - can enter 'single-point competition' tournaments at their neighborhood facilities

The champions of the community events will then go into a draw, with one amateur player from every geographic division chosen to participate in the 'grand finale' in a night session on the specified date

There will also be a qualifying draw in late year which amateurs, aspiring competitors, celebrities and sports personalities can participate in

It starts on early January and the successful competitors will go into the following day's 'final showdown' with the additional everyday players and elite competitors

"No matter your experience, the final champion will receive the prize. Applications will begin shortly at clubs across the country"

Tournament officials said there were "further celebrities to be announced soon", while the event portal said "celebrities" would be participating