Carlos Alcaraz Set to Compete Against Everyday Players in Seven-Figure One Point Slam

Amateur players will have an opportunity to win a seven-figure prize when they compete against elite players - headed by world number one Carlos Alcaraz - in a single-point showdown before the Australian Grand Slam

Organizers of the Melbourne major have revealed the Million Dollar One Point Slam, which will match a dozen non-professionals against elite athletes in a single-elimination format at the Australian Open venue

How the Tournament Functions

Participants must play 'rock, paper, scissors' to establish who serves or receives, and whoever wins the point will move forward to the subsequent phase

The champion of the event will take home £490,000

Contextually, players who made it to the semi-finals of the primary tournaments in the previous year's tournament won A$1.1m

Earlier Similar Events

The US Open staged a restructured, independent combined gender tournament in the eighth month which prompted top singles players to participate, with the champions receiving $1m

The Melbourne tournament held its debut quick-fire event earlier this year, but the prize fund was a smaller amount and it generated little publicity

The Russian player was the single high-ranked athlete involved, and his campaign finished when he directed the sole serving chance permitted failing to clear the net in his last eight match

Event Specifics

Officials have not detailed exactly how the event will operate, but it is projected to emulate a comparable structure to the most recent iteration

The professionals will be granted to have a single serve and the amateurs on two occasions - as is the norm in standard play

While it is uncertain how the pairings will work, there will be five knockout rounds and the venue will be the primary court rather than the secondary venue

The final stages will be held in a night session instead of midday timing

Competitor Information

Domestic competitors - or international players who have registered with Tennis Australia - can participate in 'single-point competition' events at their neighborhood facilities

The winners of the grassroots tournaments will then go into a draw, with a single non-professional from every state and territory selected to participate in the 'final competition' in a night session on Wednesday, 14 January

There will also be a entry tournament in December which non-professionals, lower ranked pros, well-known figures and sport stars can enter

It begins on the starting date and the pair of champions will advance to Wednesday's 'championship match' with the other eight amateurs and elite competitors

"No matter your experience, the final champion will walk away with the prize. Entries will start imminently at facilities nationwide"

Competition planners mentioned there were "additional stars to be announced soon", while the event portal indicated "celebrities" would be involved