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Recreational competitors will have the possibility to win A$1m when they face tennis' top professionals - including top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz - in a winner-takes-all point leading up to January's Australian Open

Organizers of the year's first Grand Slam have announced the Million Dollar One Point Slam, which will match everyday competitors against elite athletes in a knockout tournament at Melbourne Park

This Innovative Event Will Work

Competitors are set to play 'the classic hand game' to determine who serves or receives, and the player who wins the point will move forward to the subsequent phase

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

Contextually, players who reached the final four of the main draw competitions in the previous year's tournament won A$1.1m

Past Comparable Tournaments

The American Grand Slam staged a redesigned, separate mixed doubles tournament in August which encouraged top singles players to participate, with the champions receiving $1m

The Australian Open held its first-ever quick-fire event in the current season, but the cash prize was A$60,000 and it generated little publicity

The Russian player was the single high-ranked athlete competing, and his campaign finished when he put the single service opportunity permitted failing to clear the net in his quarter-final

Tournament Specifics

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

The elite players will be permitted to have a single serve and the non-professionals on two occasions - as is the norm in conventional tennis

While it is uncertain how the draw will work, there will be multiple elimination stages and the site will be the primary court rather than the smaller Kia Arena

The last matches will be held in a night session instead of early afternoon

Entry Information

Domestic competitors - or international players who have enrolled with the national federation - can compete in 'quick-match event' tournaments at their local tennis clubs

The victors of the grassroots tournaments will then go into a draw, with one amateur player from every region and area chosen to take part in the 'final competition' in a nighttime event on mid-January

There will also be a preliminary competition in December which non-professionals, developing professionals, celebrities and sports personalities can participate in

It starts on early January and the pair of champions will advance to the midweek 'final showdown' with the remaining non-professionals and top-ranked athletes

"No matter your experience, the overall victor will walk away with the prize. Applications will start imminently at venues throughout the nation"

Competition planners said there were "further celebrities to be unveiled imminently", while the event portal said "celebrities" would be involved