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Amateur players are getting the possibility to win a seven-figure prize when they compete against tennis' top professionals - headed by world number one the Spanish champion - in a one-point battle prior to the Australian Grand Slam

Event planners of the Australian Open have unveiled the $1 Million Single-Point Tournament, which will pit 10 amateur players against elite athletes in a elimination competition at the Australian Open venue

How the Competition Operates

Players will play 'the decision-making game' to decide who serves or receives, and the competitor securing the point will move forward to the subsequent phase

The victor of the event will take home £490,000

By comparison, players who advanced to the semi-finals of the primary tournaments in the last edition won A$1.1m

Past Related Competitions

The New York major hosted a restructured, standalone mixed doubles tournament in late summer which prompted top singles players to compete, with the winners receiving a million-dollar prize

The Melbourne tournament held its first-ever quick-fire event earlier this year, but the total purse was A$60,000 and it had limited exposure

One top competitor was the sole elite competitor involved, and his progress concluded when he put the sole serving chance permitted into the net in his last eight match

Tournament Details

Planners have not specified precisely how the event will work, but it is anticipated to emulate a comparable structure to the most recent iteration

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

While it is unclear how the bracket will work, there will be five knockout rounds and the site will be the main stadium rather than the alternative court

The final stages will occur in a evening slot instead of early afternoon

Competitor Information

Domestic competitors - or international players who have signed up with the national federation - can enter 'One Point Slam' tournaments at their community centers

The champions of the grassroots tournaments will then go into a random pairing, with a single non-professional from every geographic division selected to participate in the 'championship round' in a night session on Wednesday, 14 January

There will also be a preliminary competition in the final month which non-professionals, developing professionals, famous personalities and athletic celebrities can enter

It starts on early January and the pair of champions will qualify for the following day's 'championship match' with the other eight amateurs and 10 professionals

"No matter your experience, the overall victor will walk away with the prize. Registrations will open soon at facilities nationwide"

Competition planners said there were "additional stars to be announced soon", while the event portal mentioned "well-known figures" would be participating