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Amateur players are being offered an opportunity to claim one million Australian dollars when they compete against elite players - including top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz - in a single-point showdown prior to January's Australian Open

Event planners of the Melbourne major have unveiled the Million Dollar One Point Slam, which will pit 10 amateur players against 22 professionals in a elimination competition at Melbourne Park

This Innovative Event Will Work

Participants must play 'rock, paper, scissors' to decide who serves or receives, and the player who wins the point will move forward to the subsequent phase

The victor of the event will earn a significant cash prize

For comparison, players who reached the semi-finals of the primary tournaments in the last edition won substantial prize money

Past Similar Events

The US Open staged a revamped, independent combined gender tournament in August which prompted top singles players to take part, with the victors receiving a million-dollar prize

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

The Russian player was the only top-10 player competing, and his progress came to an end when he directed the single service opportunity permitted into the net in his penultimate round

Tournament Specifics

Organizers have not detailed exactly how the event will operate, but it is expected to mirror a similar format to the most recent iteration

The professionals will be allowed to serve once and the everyday players twice - as is the usual procedure in traditional tennis

While it is not certain how the pairings will work, there will be several competitive phases and the venue will be the main stadium rather than the smaller Kia Arena

The last matches will occur in a nighttime schedule instead of 1pm local time

Entry Information

Local players - or overseas competitors who have signed up with the governing body - can participate in 'One Point Slam' tournaments at their community centers

The champions of the grassroots tournaments will then go into a draw, with one amateur player from every geographic division chosen to take part in the 'championship round' in a night session on mid-January

There will also be a entry tournament in December which amateurs, aspiring competitors, famous personalities and sport stars can enter

It begins on Monday, 12 January and the two winners will go into the following day's 'grand finale' with the other eight amateurs and top-ranked athletes

"Regardless of your skill level, the final champion will receive the prize. Applications will begin shortly at facilities throughout the nation"

Competition planners said there were "further celebrities to be revealed shortly", while the tournament site mentioned "famous personalities" would be taking part