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Amateur players are being offered the chance to claim A$1m when they take on tennis' top professionals - including top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz - in a one-point battle before the year's first major

Organizers of the year's first Grand Slam have unveiled the Million Dollar One Point Slam, which will pit everyday competitors against 22 professionals in a single-elimination format at the tournament grounds

The Unique Tournament Functions

Participants must play 'the decision-making game' to decide who serves or receives, and the competitor securing the point will advance to the next round

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

For comparison, players who made it to the final four of the primary tournaments in the last edition won over a million Australian dollars

Earlier Similar Events

The New York major staged a revamped, independent combined gender tournament in the eighth month which encouraged top singles players to participate, with the victors receiving $1m

The Melbourne tournament held its inaugural quick-fire event in the current season, but the cash prize was A$60,000 and it had limited exposure

Andrey Rublev was the single high-ranked athlete competing, and his run came to an end when he sent the single service opportunity permitted into the net in his penultimate round

Competition Information

Officials have not said exactly how the event will operate, but it is projected to mirror a akin setup to this year's edition

The top competitors will be permitted to have a single serve and the amateurs on two occasions - as is the standard practice in traditional tennis

While it is unclear how the bracket will work, there will be multiple elimination stages and the venue will be the primary court rather than the secondary venue

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

Competitor Details

Any Australians - or overseas competitors who have registered with the governing body - can enter 'single-point competition' competitions at their community centers

The champions of the community events will then go into a draw, with one amateur player from every region and area picked to participate in the 'grand finale' in a night session on mid-January

There will also be a preliminary competition in the final month which non-professionals, developing professionals, famous personalities and sport stars can compete in

It commences on Monday, 12 January and the pair of champions will go into the midweek 'final showdown' with the other eight amateurs and top-ranked athletes

"No matter your experience, the final champion will claim the prize. Entries will begin shortly at facilities nationwide"

Tournament officials stated there were "more big names to be revealed shortly", while the event portal indicated "well-known figures" would be taking part