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Recreational competitors are getting an opportunity to earn one million Australian dollars when they compete against elite players - featuring top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz - in a single-point showdown prior to January's Australian Open

Tournament officials of the Melbourne major have revealed the Million Dollar One Point Slam, which will pit 10 amateur players against elite athletes in a elimination competition at the tournament grounds

The Unique Competition Operates

Players will play 'rock, paper, scissors' to determine who serves or receives, and whoever wins the point will progress to the subsequent phase

The champion of the event will take home a significant cash prize

Contextually, players who made it to the penultimate round of the primary tournaments in the 2025 Australian Open won A$1.1m

Past Comparable Tournaments

The US Open hosted a revamped, standalone combined gender tournament in the eighth month which motivated top singles players to compete, with the champions receiving one million US dollars

The Melbourne tournament held its debut single-point competition this year, but the cash prize was sixty thousand Australian dollars and it generated little publicity

Andrey Rublev was the sole elite competitor competing, and his run concluded when he directed the single service opportunity permitted failing to clear the net in his last eight match

Tournament Information

Officials have not specified precisely how the event will operate, but it is projected to emulate a comparable structure to the most recent iteration

The top competitors will be granted to have a single serve and the non-professionals twice - as is the standard practice in conventional tennis

While it is unclear how the draw will work, there will be several competitive phases and the venue will be the primary court rather than the alternative court

The concluding rounds will occur in a evening slot instead of 1pm local time

Participation Details

Domestic competitors - or international players who have registered with the governing body - can enter 'single-point competition' tournaments at their community centers

The champions of the grassroots tournaments will then go into a random pairing, with an everyday competitor from every state and territory selected to participate in the 'final competition' in a evening match on Wednesday, 14 January

There will also be a preliminary competition in December which amateurs, developing professionals, famous personalities and athletic celebrities can enter

It begins on the starting date and the successful competitors will go into the following day's 'championship match' with the remaining non-professionals and 10 professionals

"Whether you're an amateur or a pro, the final champion will receive the prize. Entries will open soon at venues nationwide"

Competition planners mentioned there were "additional stars to be unveiled imminently", while the tournament site said "famous personalities" would be involved