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Amateur players are being offered an opportunity to earn A$1m when they face elite players - headed by leading player the Spanish champion - in a single-point showdown leading up to the Australian Grand Slam

Organizers of the year's first Grand Slam have announced the $1 Million Single-Point Tournament, which will pair a dozen non-professionals against 22 professionals in a knockout tournament at the tournament grounds

The Unique Tournament Functions

Players will play 'the classic hand game' to decide who takes the serve or return position, and the player who wins the point will progress to the subsequent phase

The winner of the event will receive approximately half a million pounds

Contextually, players who made it to the semi-finals of the main draw competitions in the previous year's tournament won over a million Australian dollars

Previous Comparable Tournaments

The New York major staged a restructured, separate combined gender tournament in August which encouraged top singles players to compete, with the champions receiving $1m

The Australian Open held its debut One Point Slam this year, but the total purse was sixty thousand Australian dollars and it had limited exposure

One top competitor was the only top-10 player participating, and his campaign concluded when he sent the single service opportunity granted failing to clear the net in his quarter-final

Event Specifics

Planners have not detailed exactly how the event will function, but it is expected to follow a similar format to the previous version

The elite players will be allowed to make one service and the amateurs two times - as is the standard practice in conventional tennis

While it is unclear how the pairings will work, there will be multiple elimination stages and the location will be the primary court rather than the smaller Kia Arena

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

Entry Details

Local players - or overseas competitors who have registered with the governing body - can compete in 'One Point Slam' events at their community centers

The victors of the community events will then go into a selection process, with a single non-professional from every geographic division selected to compete in the 'grand finale' in a evening match on mid-January

There will also be a preliminary competition in December which everyday players, aspiring competitors, famous personalities and sport stars can compete in

It starts on Monday, 12 January and the two winners will advance to Wednesday's 'grand finale' with the other eight amateurs and elite competitors

"No matter your experience, the final champion will receive the prize. Applications will open soon at clubs throughout the nation"

Event organizers mentioned there were "more big names to be unveiled imminently", while the tournament site indicated "famous personalities" would be participating