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Recreational competitors are getting the chance to win A$1m when they take on tennis' top professionals - including leading player Carlos Alcaraz - in a one-point battle before the Australian Grand Slam

Organizers of the Melbourne major have unveiled the Seven-Figure Quick-Fire Competition, which will pit everyday competitors against 22 professionals in a elimination competition at the Australian Open venue

How the Tournament Functions

Competitors are set to play 'rock, paper, scissors' to establish who serves or receives, and the competitor securing the point will advance to the following stage

The champion of the event will receive a significant cash prize

By comparison, players who advanced to the final four of the primary tournaments in the previous year's tournament won over a million Australian dollars

Earlier Comparable Tournaments

The American Grand Slam organized a revamped, separate mixed doubles tournament in August which prompted top singles players to participate, with the victors receiving one million US dollars

The year's first major held its debut single-point competition earlier this year, but the cash prize was sixty thousand Australian dollars and it generated little publicity

One top competitor was the single high-ranked athlete involved, and his run concluded when he put the sole serving chance granted into the mesh in his penultimate round

Event Information

Officials have not said exactly how the event will function, but it is projected to follow a akin setup to this year's edition

The elite players will be granted to make one service and the everyday players twice - as is the standard practice in conventional tennis

While it is uncertain how the bracket will work, there will be several competitive phases and the location will be the Rod Laver Arena rather than the smaller Kia Arena

The final stages will be held in a night session instead of 1pm local time

Participation Information

Any Australians - or foreign participants who have enrolled with Tennis Australia - can enter 'single-point competition' events at their community centers

The victors of the local competitions will then go into a selection process, with a single non-professional from every geographic division picked to compete in the 'final competition' in a evening match on the specified date

There will also be a qualifying draw in December which amateurs, lower ranked pros, famous personalities and sport stars can participate in

It begins on Monday, 12 January and the two winners will qualify for the following day's 'grand finale' with the remaining non-professionals and elite competitors

"No matter your experience, the ultimate winner will receive the prize. Registrations will begin shortly at venues throughout the nation"

Event organizers stated there were "more big names to be revealed shortly", while the official website said "celebrities" would be taking part