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Amateur players are being offered an opportunity to earn one million Australian dollars when they face world-class athletes - headed by top-ranked the Spanish champion - in a one-point battle leading up to the Australian Grand Slam

Event planners of the Melbourne major have unveiled the $1 Million Single-Point Tournament, which will match 10 amateur players against top-ranked players in a knockout tournament at the Australian Open venue

The Unique Event Will Work

Participants must play 'the decision-making game' to establish who takes the serve or return position, and the competitor securing the point will move forward to the next round

The victor of the event will earn a significant cash prize

By comparison, players who made it to the semi-finals of the main draw competitions in the last edition won substantial prize money

Past Related Competitions

The US Open staged a revamped, separate mixed doubles tournament in late summer which prompted top singles players to take part, with the champions receiving one million US dollars

The Australian Open held its inaugural quick-fire event earlier this year, but the prize fund was sixty thousand Australian dollars and it had limited exposure

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

Competition Specifics

Officials have not specified precisely how the event will work, but it is projected to follow a akin setup to the most recent iteration

The top competitors will be permitted to serve once and the everyday players on two occasions - as is the usual procedure in standard play

While it is unclear how the draw will work, there will be multiple elimination stages and the location will be the main stadium rather than the alternative court

The last matches will take place in a night session instead of midday timing

Entry Information

Local players - or international players who have enrolled with the national federation - can enter 'single-point competition' tournaments at their community centers

The champions of the community events will then go into a selection process, with an everyday competitor from every geographic division selected to compete in the 'championship round' in a evening match on Wednesday, 14 January

There will also be a entry tournament in late year which amateurs, aspiring competitors, well-known figures and sport stars can participate in

It commences on early January and the two winners will qualify for the following day's 'final showdown' with the remaining non-professionals and top-ranked athletes

"No matter your experience, the overall victor will claim the reward. Entries will begin shortly at clubs throughout the nation"

Tournament officials mentioned there were "further celebrities to be unveiled imminently", while the event portal indicated "celebrities" would be taking part