Carlos Alcaraz Set to Compete Against Amateurs in Seven-Figure One Point Slam
Everyday tennis enthusiasts will have the possibility to win a seven-figure prize when they compete against tennis' top professionals - including top-ranked the Spanish champion - in a single-point showdown before the year's first major
Event planners of the year's first Grand Slam have revealed the Million Dollar One Point Slam, which will match everyday competitors against 22 professionals in a knockout tournament at Melbourne Park
The Unique Competition Operates
Competitors are set to play 'the decision-making game' to establish who serves or receives, and the player who wins the point will move forward to the following stage
The champion of the event will take home £490,000
By comparison, players who advanced to the final four of the main draw competitions in the previous year's tournament won over a million Australian dollars
Past Related Competitions
The American Grand Slam staged a restructured, separate mixed doubles tournament in August which motivated top singles players to participate, with the winners receiving $1m
The Australian Open held its debut One Point Slam earlier this year, but the cash prize was A$60,000 and it received minimal attention
Andrey Rublev was the single high-ranked athlete involved, and his campaign came to an end when he directed the single service opportunity allowed into the net in his penultimate round
Competition Information
Planners have not specified precisely how the event will function, but it is expected to follow a akin setup to the previous version
The professionals will be permitted to serve once and the everyday players two times - as is the norm in standard play
While it is unclear how the bracket will work, there will be several competitive phases and the venue will be the Rod Laver Arena rather than the smaller Kia Arena
The final stages will occur in a night session instead of 1pm local time
Entry Information
Domestic competitors - or foreign participants who have registered with the national federation - can enter 'single-point competition' tournaments at their local tennis clubs
The champions of the local competitions will then go into a selection process, with an everyday competitor from every region and area chosen to take part in the 'final competition' in a night session on Wednesday, 14 January
There will also be a entry tournament in late year which non-professionals, developing professionals, famous personalities and athletic celebrities can participate in
It commences on early January and the successful competitors will advance to Wednesday's 'championship match' with the additional everyday players and 10 professionals
"Regardless of your skill level, the final champion will claim the reward. Applications will open soon at facilities across the country"
Tournament officials stated there were "additional stars to be revealed shortly", while the event portal mentioned "well-known figures" would be participating