Carlos Alcaraz to Face Amateurs in $1 Million One Point Slam

Everyday tennis enthusiasts will have an opportunity to earn a seven-figure prize when they face elite players - featuring world number one Carlos Alcaraz - in a single-point showdown leading up to January's Australian Open

Tournament officials of the Melbourne major have revealed the Seven-Figure Quick-Fire Competition, which will pit a dozen non-professionals against 22 professionals in a knockout tournament at Melbourne Park

This Innovative Tournament Functions

Players will play 'rock, paper, scissors' to decide who serves or receives, and the competitor securing the point will advance to the subsequent phase

The winner of the event will earn a significant cash prize

Contextually, players who reached the final four of the main draw competitions in the previous year's tournament won substantial prize money

Earlier Similar Events

The New York major organized a redesigned, separate mixed doubles tournament in late summer which encouraged top singles players to compete, with the champions receiving $1m

The year's first major held its debut quick-fire event earlier this year, but the total purse was sixty thousand Australian dollars and it generated little publicity

Andrey Rublev was the sole elite competitor involved, and his progress finished when he directed the sole serving chance allowed into the mesh in his last eight match

Event Information

Organizers have not detailed exactly how the event will function, but it is expected to follow a similar format to the previous version

The elite players will be allowed to have a single serve and the non-professionals two times - as is the standard practice in conventional tennis

While it is not certain how the draw will work, there will be multiple elimination stages and the venue will be the primary court rather than the secondary venue

The final stages will be held in a night session instead of early afternoon

Competitor Details

Any Australians - or overseas competitors who have registered with the national federation - can compete in 'One Point Slam' tournaments at their local tennis clubs

The victors of the local competitions will then go into a draw, with one amateur player from every region and area picked to participate in the 'final competition' in a nighttime event on the specified date

There will also be a entry tournament in the final month which everyday players, developing professionals, famous personalities and sports personalities can enter

It starts on Monday, 12 January and the successful competitors will qualify for Wednesday's 'final showdown' with the additional everyday players and elite competitors

"No matter your experience, the overall victor will walk away with the reward. Entries will begin shortly at facilities across the country"

Competition planners mentioned there were "additional stars to be unveiled imminently", while the tournament site said "well-known figures" would be participating