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Recreational competitors are getting the chance to earn A$1m when they face world-class athletes - featuring top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz - in a single-point showdown before the year's first major

Event planners of the Melbourne major have unveiled the $1 Million Single-Point Tournament, which will pit 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 establish who serves or receives, and whoever wins the point will advance to the following stage

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

By comparison, players who advanced to the semi-finals of the men's or women's singles in the 2025 Australian Open won over a million Australian dollars

Previous Comparable Tournaments

The American Grand Slam hosted a revamped, standalone mixed doubles tournament in August which prompted top singles players to compete, with the victors receiving $1m

The Australian Open 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 single high-ranked athlete participating, and his progress came to an end when he directed the one and only serve granted into the mesh in his last eight match

Tournament Information

Organizers have not specified precisely how the event will operate, but it is anticipated to mirror a akin setup to the previous version

The professionals will be granted to have a single serve and the everyday players twice - as is the norm in conventional tennis

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

The last matches will be held in a night session instead of 1pm local time

Entry Requirements

Any Australians - or international players who have enrolled with Tennis Australia - can enter 'quick-match event' events at their neighborhood facilities

The champions of the local competitions will then go into a selection process, with an everyday competitor from every state and territory selected to compete in the 'grand finale' in a night session on the specified date

There will also be a qualifying draw in the final month which non-professionals, developing professionals, celebrities and athletic celebrities can enter

It commences on early January and the two winners will go into Wednesday's 'final showdown' with the other eight amateurs and 10 professionals

"No matter your experience, the overall victor will claim the reward. Applications will open soon at clubs nationwide"

Tournament officials mentioned there were "additional stars to be unveiled imminently", while the event portal mentioned "famous personalities" would be involved