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Everyday tennis enthusiasts are getting the possibility to win A$1m when they take on world-class athletes - including world number one the Spanish champion - in a winner-takes-all point prior to January's Australian Open

Tournament officials of the year's first Grand Slam have revealed the Million Dollar One Point Slam, which will match 10 amateur players against top-ranked players in a knockout tournament at the Australian Open venue

The Unique Tournament Functions

Players will play 'the decision-making game' to determine who gets to serve or return, and the player who wins the point will move forward to the following stage

The champion of the event will receive £490,000

By comparison, players who reached the penultimate round of the men's or women's singles in the last edition won A$1.1m

Past Similar Events

The American Grand Slam hosted a redesigned, separate combined gender tournament in late summer which prompted top singles players to take part, with the champions receiving a million-dollar prize

The year's first major held its debut single-point competition earlier this year, but the cash prize was sixty thousand Australian dollars and it had limited exposure

Andrey Rublev was the sole elite competitor participating, and his progress finished when he put the one and only serve permitted into the mesh in his last eight match

Event Information

Planners have not detailed exactly how the event will work, but it is projected to emulate a similar format to this year's edition

The top competitors will be permitted to have a single serve and the amateurs twice - as is the usual procedure in standard play

While it is unclear how the draw will work, there will be several competitive phases and the site will be the Rod Laver Arena rather than the alternative court

The last matches will occur in a nighttime schedule instead of 1pm local time

Competitor Information

Local players - or international players who have signed up with the national federation - can compete in 'single-point competition' tournaments at their community centers

The champions of the community events will then go into a draw, with a single non-professional from every state and territory selected to participate in the 'grand finale' in a nighttime event on the specified date

There will also be a entry tournament in the final month which everyday players, aspiring competitors, famous personalities and athletic celebrities can participate in

It begins on the starting date and the pair of champions will qualify for Wednesday's 'championship match' with the other eight amateurs and elite competitors

"Whether you're an amateur or a pro, the final champion will walk away with the award. Entries will begin shortly at venues nationwide"

Event organizers mentioned there were "further celebrities to be announced soon", while the tournament site mentioned "celebrities" would be participating