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Everyday tennis enthusiasts will have an opportunity to win one million Australian dollars when they take on tennis' top professionals - featuring top-ranked the Spanish champion - in a single-point showdown prior to the Australian Grand Slam

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

How the Competition Operates

Competitors are set to play 'the classic hand game' to decide who gets to serve or return, and the competitor securing the point will advance to the following stage

The champion of the event will receive approximately half a million pounds

Contextually, players who advanced to the final four of the main draw competitions in the previous year's tournament won A$1.1m

Past Comparable Tournaments

The American Grand Slam hosted a revamped, separate combined gender tournament in late summer which encouraged top singles players to compete, with the winners receiving $1m

The year's first major held its first-ever quick-fire event in the current season, but the total purse was A$60,000 and it received minimal attention

One top competitor was the single high-ranked athlete participating, and his run finished when he put the one and only serve granted into the net in his penultimate round

Competition Specifics

Officials have not specified precisely how the event will function, but it is expected to mirror a comparable structure to the previous version

The elite players will be granted to serve once and the everyday players twice - as is the usual procedure in conventional tennis

While it is uncertain how the pairings will work, there will be multiple elimination stages and the location will be the main stadium rather than the alternative court

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

Entry Requirements

Any Australians - or overseas competitors who have signed up with Tennis Australia - can compete in 'One Point Slam' events at their local tennis clubs

The winners of the local competitions will then go into a selection process, with a single non-professional from every geographic division picked to take part in the 'grand finale' in a evening match on the specified date

There will also be a entry tournament in December which non-professionals, developing professionals, famous personalities and athletic celebrities can enter

It starts on Monday, 12 January and the two winners will go into Wednesday's 'grand finale' with the other eight amateurs and 10 professionals

"Whether you're an amateur or a pro, the ultimate winner will walk away with the prize. Registrations will start imminently at venues across the country"

Event organizers mentioned there were "additional stars to be announced soon", while the event portal mentioned "well-known figures" would be taking part