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Everyday tennis enthusiasts are being offered the chance to claim A$1m when they take on world-class athletes - headed by world number one the Spanish champion - in a winner-takes-all point prior to the year's first major

Event planners of the year's first Grand Slam have revealed the $1 Million Single-Point Tournament, which will pair 10 amateur players against top-ranked players in a elimination competition at Melbourne Park

How the Event Will Work

Competitors are set to play 'the decision-making game' to decide who serves or receives, and the competitor securing the point will progress to the following stage

The victor of the event will receive £490,000

For comparison, players who advanced to the penultimate round of the main draw competitions in the previous year's tournament won over a million Australian dollars

Previous Comparable Tournaments

The US Open hosted a redesigned, separate mixed doubles tournament in the eighth month which encouraged top singles players to participate, with the victors receiving a million-dollar prize

The Australian Open held its inaugural quick-fire event earlier this year, but the total purse was A$60,000 and it received minimal attention

One top competitor was the single high-ranked athlete participating, and his campaign came to an end when he put the single service opportunity permitted into the net in his penultimate round

Competition Information

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

The top competitors will be allowed to have a single serve and the everyday players on two occasions - as is the usual procedure in conventional tennis

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

The concluding rounds will take place in a evening slot instead of midday timing

Entry Details

Local players - or international players who have signed up with the national federation - can participate in 'quick-match event' competitions at their community centers

The victors of the local competitions will then go into a selection process, with one amateur player from every state and territory chosen to participate in the 'championship round' in a night session on Wednesday, 14 January

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

It commences on the starting date and the successful competitors will qualify for the following day's 'final showdown' with the additional everyday players and 10 professionals

"No matter your experience, the ultimate winner will walk away with the prize. Registrations will begin shortly at venues nationwide"

Competition planners mentioned there were "more big names to be unveiled imminently", while the tournament site mentioned "famous personalities" would be involved