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Recreational competitors will have the chance to win a seven-figure prize when they face elite players - headed by world number one Carlos Alcaraz - in a one-point battle before the year's first major

Organizers of the Australian Open have revealed the $1 Million Single-Point Tournament, which will pair 10 amateur players against top-ranked players in a elimination competition at the tournament grounds

This Innovative Competition Operates

Players will play 'rock, paper, scissors' to determine who gets to serve or return, and the player who wins the point will advance to the following stage

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

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

Past Related Competitions

The US Open hosted a restructured, separate mixed doubles tournament in August which encouraged top singles players to participate, with the winners receiving $1m

The Melbourne tournament held its debut One Point Slam earlier this year, but the prize fund was a smaller amount and it generated little publicity

Andrey Rublev was the sole elite competitor participating, and his run concluded when he directed the single service opportunity granted into the mesh in his last eight match

Competition Information

Officials have not said exactly how the event will function, but it is expected to emulate a comparable structure to the most recent iteration

The top competitors will be allowed to serve once and the non-professionals two times - as is the usual procedure in standard play

While it is unclear how the bracket 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 nighttime schedule instead of midday timing

Competitor Requirements

Any Australians - or foreign participants who have signed up with the national federation - can enter 'One Point Slam' competitions at their local tennis clubs

The champions of the local competitions will then go into a draw, with an everyday competitor from every state and territory chosen to participate in the 'championship round' in a night session on the specified date

There will also be a qualifying draw in December which everyday players, lower ranked pros, famous personalities and sport stars can participate in

It starts on Monday, 12 January and the two winners will go into the following day's 'grand finale' with the other eight amateurs and elite competitors

"Whether you're an amateur or a pro, the final champion will receive the reward. Entries will begin shortly at venues nationwide"

Competition planners mentioned there were "further celebrities to be announced soon", while the tournament site mentioned "well-known figures" would be taking part