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Recreational competitors are getting the possibility to win a seven-figure prize when they compete against tennis' top professionals - featuring world number one Carlos Alcaraz - in a single-point showdown before the year's first major

Organizers of the Melbourne major have unveiled the $1 Million Single-Point Tournament, which will pair 10 amateur players against elite athletes in a knockout tournament at the tournament grounds

This Innovative Tournament Functions

Players will play 'the decision-making game' to establish who takes the serve or return position, and the competitor securing the point will advance to the subsequent phase

The champion of the event will receive a significant cash prize

Contextually, players who reached the semi-finals of the men's or women's singles in the previous year's tournament won A$1.1m

Previous Comparable Tournaments

The New York major staged a revamped, separate combined gender tournament in late summer which motivated top singles players to participate, with the victors receiving $1m

The Melbourne tournament held its first-ever One Point Slam in the current season, but the total purse was sixty thousand Australian dollars and it received minimal attention

The Russian player was the single high-ranked athlete competing, and his run concluded when he directed the sole serving chance granted into the net in his penultimate round

Event Information

Organizers have not detailed exactly how the event will operate, but it is anticipated to mirror a similar format to the most recent iteration

The top competitors will be allowed to have a single serve and the everyday players two times - as is the standard practice in standard play

While it is not certain how the pairings will work, there will be multiple elimination stages and the location will be the primary court rather than the secondary venue

The concluding rounds will be held in a nighttime schedule instead of early afternoon

Participation Requirements

Any Australians - or international players who have signed up with the governing body - can participate in 'single-point competition' competitions at their community centers

The winners of the grassroots tournaments will then go into a random pairing, with a single non-professional from every geographic division picked to participate in the 'final competition' in a evening match on mid-January

There will also be a entry tournament in late year which non-professionals, lower ranked pros, celebrities and sports personalities can enter

It begins on early January and the two winners will go into the following day's 'final showdown' with the other eight amateurs and 10 professionals

"Whether you're an amateur or a pro, the overall victor will claim the award. Entries will begin shortly at clubs nationwide"

Competition planners stated there were "more big names to be announced soon", while the tournament site said "well-known figures" would be taking part