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Recreational competitors are being offered the possibility to earn a seven-figure prize when they compete against elite players - headed by leading player Carlos Alcaraz - in a one-point battle prior to the Australian Grand Slam

Organizers of the Melbourne major have unveiled the Seven-Figure Quick-Fire Competition, which will pit 10 amateur players against 22 professionals in a single-elimination format at Melbourne Park

The Unique Tournament Functions

Competitors are set to play 'the classic hand game' to decide who gets to serve or return, and the player who wins the point will progress to the next round

The champion of the event will take home a significant cash prize

Contextually, players who advanced to the semi-finals of the men's or women's singles in the previous year's tournament won substantial prize money

Previous Comparable Tournaments

The New York major staged a redesigned, independent combined gender tournament in August which motivated top singles players to take part, with the winners receiving one million US dollars

The Melbourne tournament held its inaugural One Point Slam this year, but the cash prize was A$60,000 and it had limited exposure

The Russian player was the only top-10 player participating, and his campaign came to an end when he put the single service opportunity granted into the mesh in his penultimate round

Competition Specifics

Organizers have not said exactly how the event will work, but it is projected to mirror a comparable structure to the most recent iteration

The professionals will be granted to make one service and the non-professionals twice - as is the usual procedure in traditional tennis

While it is unclear how the bracket will work, there will be multiple elimination stages and the location will be the primary court rather than the secondary venue

The last matches will take place in a evening slot instead of 1pm local time

Entry Information

Local players - or international players who have enrolled with Tennis Australia - can enter 'One Point Slam' events at their community centers

The victors of the grassroots tournaments will then go into a draw, with one amateur player from every region and area chosen to participate in the 'championship round' in a nighttime event on Wednesday, 14 January

There will also be a entry tournament in December which amateurs, lower ranked pros, celebrities and athletic celebrities can compete in

It starts on Monday, 12 January and the successful competitors will go into Wednesday's 'final showdown' with the remaining non-professionals and top-ranked athletes

"Regardless of your skill level, the final champion will walk away with the prize. Applications will start imminently at clubs across the country"

Tournament officials stated there were "further celebrities to be announced soon", while the official website mentioned "famous personalities" would be participating