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Recreational competitors are being offered the chance to earn one million Australian dollars when they compete against elite players - including top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz - in a single-point showdown prior to January's Australian Open

Event planners of the year's first Grand Slam have unveiled the Million Dollar One Point Slam, which will pit 10 amateur players against 22 professionals in a elimination competition at Melbourne Park

How the Competition Operates

Participants must play 'the classic hand game' to determine who takes the serve or return position, and the player who wins the point will move forward to the following stage

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

By comparison, players who made it to the penultimate round of the main draw competitions in the last edition won over a million Australian dollars

Past Comparable Tournaments

The American Grand Slam staged a revamped, separate combined gender tournament in the eighth month which motivated top singles players to take part, with the victors receiving $1m

The Melbourne tournament held its inaugural One Point Slam in the current season, but the total purse was A$60,000 and it generated little publicity

Andrey Rublev was the sole elite competitor competing, and his run finished when he put the one and only serve allowed into the mesh in his quarter-final

Tournament Details

Officials have not detailed exactly how the event will operate, but it is expected to emulate a similar format to the previous version

The top competitors will be permitted to serve once and the non-professionals two times - as is the standard practice in traditional tennis

While it is uncertain how the bracket will work, there will be several competitive phases and the site will be the primary court rather than the alternative court

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

Participation Details

Any Australians - or foreign participants who have enrolled with the national federation - can participate in 'single-point competition' events at their local tennis clubs

The victors of the local competitions will then go into a selection process, with a single non-professional from every region and area selected to compete in the 'final competition' in a evening match on Wednesday, 14 January

There will also be a qualifying draw in December which everyday players, developing professionals, celebrities and sport stars can enter

It begins on Monday, 12 January and the successful competitors will advance to the following day's 'final showdown' with the other eight amateurs and top-ranked athletes

"Regardless of your skill level, the ultimate winner will receive the prize. Applications will begin shortly at venues throughout the nation"

Event organizers said there were "additional stars to be unveiled imminently", while the official website indicated "well-known figures" would be involved