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Amateur players will have the possibility to earn A$1m when they take on world-class athletes - headed by leading player the Spanish champion - in a winner-takes-all point before the year's first major

Organizers of the Melbourne major have revealed the Million Dollar One Point Slam, which will pit 10 amateur players against elite athletes in a knockout tournament at the Australian Open venue

How the Event Will Work

Participants must play 'rock, paper, scissors' to establish who takes the serve or return position, and the competitor securing the point will progress to the next round

The winner of the event will earn a significant cash prize

For comparison, players who reached the final four of the main draw competitions in the last edition won A$1.1m

Earlier Related Competitions

The American Grand Slam staged a redesigned, standalone combined gender tournament in August which motivated top singles players to take part, with the winners receiving a million-dollar prize

The year's first major held its inaugural single-point competition earlier this year, but the prize fund was A$60,000 and it had limited exposure

Andrey Rublev was the sole elite competitor involved, and his run finished when he put the one and only serve granted into the net in his last eight match

Tournament Information

Organizers have not specified precisely how the event will operate, but it is anticipated to emulate a akin setup to the previous version

The top competitors will be allowed to have a single serve and the amateurs on two occasions - as is the standard practice in standard play

While it is uncertain how the draw will work, there will be multiple elimination stages and the location will be the Rod Laver Arena rather than the secondary venue

The final stages will occur in a nighttime schedule instead of 1pm local time

Competitor Information

Any Australians - or overseas competitors who have registered with the governing body - can participate in 'quick-match event' events at their community centers

The victors of the community events will then go into a random pairing, with one amateur player from every state and territory picked to take part in the 'championship round' in a night session on mid-January

There will also be a qualifying draw in late year which amateurs, developing professionals, well-known figures and sports personalities can enter

It commences on the starting date and the pair of champions will advance to Wednesday's 'final showdown' with the remaining non-professionals and top-ranked athletes

"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 "more big names to be unveiled imminently", while the official website said "famous personalities" would be participating