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Amateur players are getting the possibility to claim A$1m when they compete against world-class athletes - including world number one Carlos Alcaraz - in a winner-takes-all point before the year's first major

Organizers of the year's first Grand Slam have announced the $1 Million Single-Point Tournament, which will match 10 amateur players against elite athletes in a elimination competition at the Australian Open venue

How the Event Will Work

Competitors are set to play 'the classic hand game' to establish who serves or receives, and the player who wins the point will move forward to the following stage

The victor of the event will earn £490,000

By comparison, players who advanced to the penultimate round of the main draw competitions in the 2025 Australian Open won A$1.1m

Earlier Related Competitions

The New York major organized a redesigned, separate mixed doubles tournament in August which prompted top singles players to take part, with the winners receiving $1m

The Melbourne tournament held its inaugural One Point Slam in the current season, but the total purse was a smaller amount and it had limited exposure

The Russian player was the single high-ranked athlete involved, and his progress finished when he sent the sole serving chance permitted failing to clear the net in his last eight match

Competition Specifics

Organizers have not specified precisely how the event will work, but it is expected to emulate a similar format to the previous version

The professionals will be permitted to have a single serve and the non-professionals two times - as is the usual procedure in traditional tennis

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

The last matches will occur in a evening slot instead of early afternoon

Competitor Details

Any Australians - or foreign participants who have signed up with the governing body - can enter 'quick-match event' events at their community centers

The winners of the grassroots tournaments will then go into a random pairing, with an everyday competitor from every region and area selected to take part in the 'championship round' in a night session on the specified date

There will also be a preliminary competition in late year which amateurs, lower ranked pros, famous personalities and sports personalities can participate in

It starts on Monday, 12 January and the pair of champions will go into the following day's 'championship match' with the remaining non-professionals and elite competitors

"No matter your experience, the ultimate winner will claim the prize. Applications will start imminently at venues across the country"

Event organizers mentioned there were "further celebrities to be unveiled imminently", while the event portal indicated "well-known figures" would be taking part