Carlos Alcaraz Set to Compete Against Amateurs in Million Dollar Winner-Takes-All Event

Recreational competitors are getting the possibility to win one million Australian dollars when they face elite players - headed by top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz - in a one-point battle prior to the Australian Grand Slam

Event planners of the year's first Grand Slam have announced the $1 Million Single-Point Tournament, which will pit everyday competitors against elite athletes in a knockout tournament at Melbourne Park

How the Tournament Functions

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

The victor of the event will receive £490,000

Contextually, players who advanced to the penultimate round of the primary tournaments in the last edition won over a million Australian dollars

Earlier Similar Events

The US Open hosted a restructured, separate mixed doubles tournament in the eighth month which encouraged top singles players to compete, with the winners receiving $1m

The year's first major held its debut single-point competition in the current season, but the cash prize was sixty thousand Australian dollars and it generated little publicity

The Russian player was the single high-ranked athlete competing, and his progress finished when he sent the one and only serve permitted failing to clear the net in his last eight match

Tournament Specifics

Planners have not specified precisely how the event will operate, but it is expected to follow a akin setup to the most recent iteration

The elite players will be allowed to have a single serve and the everyday players two times - as is the standard practice in standard play

While it is unclear how the bracket will work, there will be five knockout rounds and the venue will be the main stadium rather than the secondary venue

The concluding rounds will be held in a night session instead of early afternoon

Entry Details

Local players - or foreign participants who have signed up with the national federation - can enter 'One Point Slam' events at their local tennis clubs

The winners of the community events will then go into a draw, with one amateur player from every state and territory picked to compete in the 'grand finale' in a nighttime event on mid-January

There will also be a entry tournament in December which everyday players, lower ranked pros, famous personalities and sport stars can participate in

It commences on early January and the pair of champions will advance to the following day's 'championship match' with the remaining non-professionals and 10 professionals

"No matter your experience, the ultimate winner will walk away with the prize. Applications will begin shortly at clubs nationwide"

Tournament officials said there were "further celebrities to be announced soon", while the tournament site indicated "celebrities" would be taking part