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Everyday tennis enthusiasts are getting the possibility to win A$1m when they face tennis' top professionals - headed by top-ranked the Spanish champion - in a single-point showdown before January's Australian Open

Event planners of the year's first Grand Slam have revealed the Million Dollar One Point Slam, which will pair 10 amateur players against top-ranked players in a elimination competition at Melbourne Park

This Innovative Event Will Work

Participants must play 'rock, paper, scissors' to determine who serves or receives, and whoever wins the point will progress to the subsequent phase

The champion of the event will take home a significant cash prize

Contextually, players who reached the semi-finals of the men's or women's singles in the 2025 Australian Open won A$1.1m

Past Comparable Tournaments

The US Open hosted a restructured, separate mixed doubles tournament in August which prompted top singles players to take part, with the champions receiving $1m

The Australian Open held its debut One Point Slam this year, but the cash prize was a smaller amount and it generated little publicity

One top competitor was the only top-10 player competing, and his progress concluded when he directed the sole serving chance granted failing to clear the net in his quarter-final

Competition Specifics

Planners have not specified precisely how the event will operate, but it is expected to emulate a comparable structure to this year's edition

The elite players will be allowed to serve once and the amateurs two times - as is the standard practice in conventional tennis

While it is unclear how the bracket will work, there will be multiple elimination stages and the location will be the main stadium rather than the secondary venue

The last matches will occur in a evening slot instead of 1pm local time

Competitor Details

Any Australians - or foreign participants who have enrolled with the governing body - can compete in 'single-point competition' events at their local tennis clubs

The champions of the local competitions will then go into a draw, with one amateur player from every geographic division selected to participate in the 'championship round' in a nighttime event on Wednesday, 14 January

There will also be a preliminary competition in the final month which amateurs, developing professionals, celebrities and sport stars can participate in

It starts on Monday, 12 January and the two winners will go into Wednesday's 'final showdown' with the additional everyday players and elite competitors

"No matter your experience, the ultimate winner will walk away with the prize. Entries will open soon at facilities throughout the nation"

Competition planners stated there were "additional stars to be unveiled imminently", while the official website said "celebrities" would be involved