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Everyday tennis enthusiasts will have an opportunity to claim A$1m when they take on elite players - featuring world number one Carlos Alcaraz - in a one-point battle before January's Australian Open

Tournament officials of the Melbourne major have announced the Seven-Figure Quick-Fire Competition, which will pit everyday competitors against elite athletes in a single-elimination format at the Australian Open venue

The Unique Tournament Functions

Players will play 'the classic hand game' to determine who gets to serve or return, and the player who wins the point will advance to the subsequent phase

The victor of the event will take home approximately half a million pounds

By comparison, players who reached the final four of the primary tournaments in the previous year's tournament won substantial prize money

Earlier Comparable Tournaments

The New York major organized a revamped, separate mixed doubles tournament in the eighth month which motivated top singles players to compete, with the victors receiving one million US dollars

The Australian Open held its first-ever One Point Slam in the current season, but the total purse was sixty thousand Australian dollars and it generated little publicity

The Russian player was the single high-ranked athlete participating, and his run finished when he directed the one and only serve allowed into the mesh in his last eight match

Tournament Specifics

Planners have not detailed exactly how the event will operate, but it is projected to follow a comparable structure to the most recent iteration

The elite players will be permitted to make one service and the amateurs 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 Rod Laver Arena rather than the alternative court

The concluding rounds will occur in a evening slot instead of midday timing

Competitor Details

Any Australians - or overseas competitors who have signed up with Tennis Australia - can compete in 'single-point competition' competitions at their local tennis clubs

The champions of the community events will then go into a draw, with a single non-professional from every geographic division chosen to take part in the 'championship round' in a night session on the specified date

There will also be a preliminary competition in December which everyday players, lower ranked pros, celebrities and athletic celebrities can participate in

It begins on early January and the pair of champions will advance to the following day's 'final showdown' with the additional everyday players and top-ranked athletes

"Regardless of your skill level, the final champion will claim the award. Applications will start imminently at venues nationwide"

Competition planners said there were "more big names to be announced soon", while the tournament site indicated "famous personalities" would be taking part