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Everyday tennis enthusiasts will have an opportunity to claim A$1m when they compete against tennis' top professionals - featuring leading player Carlos Alcaraz - in a one-point battle leading up to January's Australian Open

Event planners of the year's first Grand Slam have unveiled the Seven-Figure Quick-Fire Competition, which will pit a dozen non-professionals against 22 professionals in a knockout tournament at the Australian Open venue

How the Competition Operates

Participants must play 'the classic hand game' to decide who gets to serve or return, and the competitor securing the point will move forward to the next round

The winner of the event will take home approximately half a million pounds

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

Previous Comparable Tournaments

The US Open staged a redesigned, separate mixed doubles tournament in the eighth month which motivated top singles players to take part, with the winners receiving one million US dollars

The Melbourne tournament held its inaugural single-point competition this year, but the cash prize was sixty thousand Australian dollars and it had limited exposure

One top competitor was the single high-ranked athlete competing, and his run concluded when he sent the sole serving chance permitted failing to clear the net in his penultimate round

Event Specifics

Officials have not said exactly how the event will work, but it is projected to follow a similar format to the previous version

The professionals will be granted to serve once and the everyday players on two occasions - as is the norm in traditional tennis

While it is unclear how the draw will work, there will be several competitive phases and the location will be the main stadium rather than the alternative court

The concluding rounds will take place in a nighttime schedule instead of midday timing

Competitor Information

Local players - or foreign participants who have signed up with the governing body - can compete in 'One Point Slam' events at their local tennis clubs

The victors of the local competitions will then go into a random pairing, with a single non-professional from every state and territory selected to take part in the 'championship round' in a nighttime event on Wednesday, 14 January

There will also be a entry tournament in the final month which amateurs, aspiring competitors, famous personalities and athletic celebrities can participate in

It starts on Monday, 12 January and the two winners will qualify for Wednesday's 'grand finale' with the additional everyday players and elite competitors

"No matter your experience, the final champion will claim the prize. Entries will start imminently at clubs nationwide"

Event organizers mentioned there were "further celebrities to be announced soon", while the tournament site mentioned "famous personalities" would be participating