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Amateur players are getting the chance to earn a seven-figure prize when they face tennis' top professionals - including world number one Carlos Alcaraz - in a single-point showdown prior to January's Australian Open

Organizers of the Australian Open have announced the Seven-Figure Quick-Fire Competition, which will pair 10 amateur players against top-ranked players 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 whoever wins the point will progress to the following stage

The victor of the event will earn a significant cash prize

Contextually, players who reached the semi-finals of the men's or women's singles in the last edition won A$1.1m

Previous Comparable Tournaments

The US Open hosted a redesigned, separate mixed doubles tournament in August which prompted top singles players to compete, with the winners receiving one million US dollars

The Australian Open held its first-ever One Point Slam earlier this year, but the cash prize was a smaller amount and it received minimal attention

Andrey Rublev was the single high-ranked athlete involved, and his campaign finished when he put the one and only serve permitted failing to clear the net in his quarter-final

Event Details

Officials have not specified precisely how the event will operate, but it is projected to follow a similar format to the previous version

The elite players will be permitted to serve once and the amateurs two times - as is the norm in traditional tennis

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

The concluding rounds will take place in a night session instead of early afternoon

Entry Information

Domestic competitors - or overseas competitors who have enrolled with Tennis Australia - can participate in 'single-point competition' tournaments at their neighborhood facilities

The champions of the local competitions will then go into a selection process, with a single non-professional from every state and territory picked to take part in the 'grand finale' in a night session on Wednesday, 14 January

There will also be a qualifying draw in December which amateurs, lower ranked pros, celebrities and athletic celebrities can compete in

It begins on early January and the pair of champions will advance to the midweek 'final showdown' with the other eight amateurs and top-ranked athletes

"No matter your experience, the final champion will receive the reward. Registrations will start imminently at venues across the country"

Event organizers stated there were "additional stars to be revealed shortly", while the tournament site mentioned "famous personalities" would be taking part