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Amateur players are being offered the possibility to earn A$1m when they face tennis' top professionals - featuring leading player the Spanish champion - in a single-point showdown before January's Australian Open

Tournament officials of the Australian Open have unveiled the $1 Million Single-Point Tournament, which will pit 10 amateur players against top-ranked players in a single-elimination format at the Australian Open venue

How the Event Will Work

Players will play 'the classic hand game' to determine who gets to serve or return, and the competitor securing the point will advance to the following stage

The champion of the event will take home £490,000

Contextually, players who advanced to the semi-finals of the men's or women's singles in the last edition won over a million Australian dollars

Past Comparable Tournaments

The US Open organized a restructured, independent combined gender tournament in late summer which motivated top singles players to participate, with the winners receiving a million-dollar prize

The Australian Open held its inaugural quick-fire event in the current season, but the cash prize was A$60,000 and it had limited exposure

One top competitor was the single high-ranked athlete involved, and his campaign came to an end when he sent the single service opportunity permitted failing to clear the net in his penultimate round

Event Specifics

Planners have not specified precisely how the event will operate, but it is anticipated to mirror a similar format to this year's edition

The elite players will be allowed to make one service and the non-professionals twice - as is the standard practice in conventional tennis

While it is unclear how the pairings will work, there will be five knockout rounds and the location will be the primary court rather than the alternative court

The last matches will occur in a night session instead of early afternoon

Entry Requirements

Any Australians - or foreign participants who have signed up with the national federation - can enter 'single-point competition' competitions at their local tennis clubs

The champions of the grassroots tournaments will then go into a selection process, with a single non-professional from every geographic division picked to take part in the 'final competition' in a evening match on the specified date

There will also be a qualifying draw in late year which amateurs, aspiring competitors, well-known figures and sport stars can compete in

It starts on early January and the pair of champions will go into the midweek 'final showdown' with the remaining non-professionals and top-ranked athletes

"Regardless of your skill level, the overall victor will walk away with the prize. Entries will open soon at venues nationwide"

Event organizers stated there were "more big names to be revealed shortly", while the event portal said "famous personalities" would be taking part