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Amateur players are getting the possibility to claim one million Australian dollars when they compete against world-class athletes - headed by leading player Carlos Alcaraz - in a single-point showdown before the year's first major

Organizers of the Australian Open have revealed the $1 Million Single-Point Tournament, which will match a dozen non-professionals against elite athletes in a single-elimination format at the tournament grounds

How the Tournament Functions

Participants must play 'the classic hand game' to establish who serves or receives, and the competitor securing the point will advance to the following stage

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

For comparison, players who advanced to the final four of the men's or women's singles in the 2025 Australian Open won A$1.1m

Earlier Comparable Tournaments

The US Open organized a redesigned, standalone mixed doubles tournament in August which prompted top singles players to take part, with the champions receiving one million US dollars

The year's first major held its inaugural quick-fire event this year, but the total purse was sixty thousand Australian dollars and it received minimal attention

One top competitor was the single high-ranked athlete competing, and his progress concluded when he directed the sole serving chance permitted into the net in his quarter-final

Competition Information

Officials have not specified precisely how the event will work, but it is anticipated to emulate a comparable structure to this year's edition

The elite players will be allowed to have a single serve and the amateurs twice - as is the usual procedure in conventional tennis

While it is not certain how the pairings will work, there will be multiple elimination stages and the location will be the Rod Laver Arena rather than the alternative court

The concluding rounds will take place in a nighttime schedule instead of 1pm local time

Participation Information

Local players - or foreign participants who have enrolled with the governing body - can compete in 'single-point competition' tournaments at their local tennis clubs

The champions of the grassroots tournaments will then go into a draw, with one amateur player from every geographic division picked to compete in the 'final competition' in a evening match on mid-January

There will also be a qualifying draw in the final month which everyday players, developing professionals, well-known figures and sports personalities can enter

It starts on Monday, 12 January and the successful competitors will qualify for Wednesday's 'final showdown' with the remaining non-professionals and top-ranked athletes

"Whether you're an amateur or a pro, the final champion will walk away with the reward. Applications will start imminently at venues nationwide"

Event organizers stated there were "further celebrities to be unveiled imminently", while the tournament site said "celebrities" would be taking part