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Recreational competitors are getting the possibility to win one million Australian dollars when they compete against world-class athletes - headed by world number one Carlos Alcaraz - in a winner-takes-all point leading up to the year's first major

Event planners of the year's first Grand Slam have unveiled the $1 Million Single-Point Tournament, which will pit everyday competitors against 22 professionals in a single-elimination format at Melbourne Park

This Innovative Event Will Work

Participants must play 'the classic hand game' to determine who serves or receives, and whoever wins the point will advance to the next round

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

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

Earlier Similar Events

The US Open organized a restructured, independent combined gender tournament in late summer which encouraged top singles players to take part, with the champions receiving one million US dollars

The Australian Open held its first-ever One Point Slam earlier this year, but the total purse was A$60,000 and it generated little publicity

Andrey Rublev was the sole elite competitor participating, and his run finished when he directed the single service opportunity permitted into the mesh in his last eight match

Event Specifics

Planners have not specified precisely how the event will operate, but it is expected to emulate a similar format to this year's edition

The professionals will be permitted to have a single serve and the non-professionals on two occasions - as is the standard practice in traditional tennis

While it is not certain how the draw will work, there will be five knockout rounds and the site will be the main stadium rather than the alternative court

The last matches will take place in a nighttime schedule instead of 1pm local time

Competitor Information

Any Australians - or overseas competitors who have registered with Tennis Australia - can enter 'single-point competition' competitions at their neighborhood facilities

The champions of the community events will then go into a random pairing, with an everyday competitor from every geographic division picked to compete in the 'grand finale' in a night session on mid-January

There will also be a preliminary competition in December which everyday players, lower ranked pros, well-known figures and sports personalities can compete in

It begins on the starting date and the two winners will qualify for the midweek 'final showdown' with the other eight amateurs and top-ranked athletes

"Whether you're an amateur or a pro, the ultimate winner will claim the prize. Entries will start imminently at clubs nationwide"

Competition planners mentioned there were "more big names to be unveiled imminently", while the official website mentioned "well-known figures" would be participating