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Everyday tennis enthusiasts are getting an opportunity to win A$1m when they compete against world-class athletes - headed by top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz - in a one-point battle leading up to the year's first major

Event planners of the year's first Grand Slam have revealed the Million Dollar One Point Slam, which will pair 10 amateur players against 22 professionals in a elimination competition at Melbourne Park

How the Competition Operates

Players will play 'the classic hand game' to decide who takes the serve or return position, and the competitor securing the point will progress to the next round

The champion of the event will earn a significant cash prize

By comparison, players who reached the final four of the primary tournaments in the previous year's tournament won A$1.1m

Past Related Competitions

The US Open staged a redesigned, separate combined gender tournament in the eighth month which motivated top singles players to compete, with the victors receiving $1m

The Melbourne tournament held its inaugural quick-fire event this year, but the prize fund was a smaller amount and it had limited exposure

Andrey Rublev was the only top-10 player competing, and his progress concluded when he put the single service opportunity allowed into the mesh in his penultimate round

Tournament Specifics

Officials have not detailed exactly how the event will operate, but it is expected to follow a comparable structure to this year's edition

The professionals will be allowed to have a single serve and the amateurs twice - as is the usual procedure in standard play

While it is uncertain how the pairings will work, there will be multiple elimination stages and the site will be the Rod Laver Arena rather than the secondary venue

The final stages will occur in a evening slot instead of midday timing

Competitor Information

Local players - or international players who have signed up with the governing body - can enter 'One Point Slam' competitions at their local tennis clubs

The victors of the grassroots tournaments will then go into a selection process, with an everyday competitor from every geographic division picked to take part in the 'grand finale' in a nighttime event on Wednesday, 14 January

There will also be a entry tournament in December which non-professionals, aspiring competitors, famous personalities and athletic celebrities can compete in

It begins on early January and the two winners will qualify for Wednesday's 'final showdown' with the remaining non-professionals and 10 professionals

"Regardless of your skill level, the overall victor will claim the award. Applications will open soon at clubs across the country"

Event organizers said there were "more big names to be unveiled imminently", while the official website indicated "well-known figures" would be involved