🔗 Share this article

Everyday tennis enthusiasts will have the possibility to earn A$1m when they face tennis' top professionals - including leading player the Spanish champion - in a one-point battle prior to the Australian Grand Slam

Organizers 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 single-elimination format at the tournament grounds

The Unique Event Will Work

Participants must play 'rock, paper, scissors' to establish who takes the serve or return position, and the player who wins the point will move forward to the subsequent phase

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

By comparison, players who reached the semi-finals of the main draw competitions in the last edition won substantial prize money

Past Similar Events

The American Grand Slam organized a revamped, standalone mixed doubles tournament in August which motivated top singles players to take part, with the winners receiving a million-dollar prize

The Melbourne tournament held its debut One Point Slam earlier this year, but the cash prize was A$60,000 and it had limited exposure

The Russian player was the only top-10 player involved, and his progress concluded when he put the one and only serve granted failing to clear the net in his quarter-final

Competition Details

Organizers have not said exactly how the event will work, but it is anticipated to emulate a akin setup to the previous version

The elite players will be permitted to make one service and the everyday players on two occasions - as is the norm in traditional tennis

While it is unclear how the pairings will work, there will be several competitive phases and the location will be the Rod Laver Arena rather than the secondary venue

The concluding rounds will occur in a evening slot instead of early afternoon

Competitor Details

Domestic competitors - or foreign participants who have registered with Tennis Australia - can enter 'One Point Slam' tournaments at their community centers

The champions of the grassroots tournaments will then go into a selection process, with one amateur player from every geographic division picked to compete in the 'final competition' in a evening match on mid-January

There will also be a entry tournament in the final month which amateurs, lower ranked pros, famous personalities and athletic celebrities can participate in

It starts on the starting date and the successful competitors will advance to the following day's 'grand finale' with the other eight amateurs and 10 professionals

"Regardless of your skill level, the final champion will receive the reward. Entries will start imminently at clubs throughout the nation"

Competition planners stated there were "further celebrities to be announced soon", while the official website said "well-known figures" would be taking part