Alcaraz Ready to Battle Everyday Players in $1 Million Winner-Takes-All Event

Amateur players are getting the chance to win a seven-figure prize when they compete against elite players - headed by top-ranked the Spanish champion - in a one-point battle before the Australian Grand Slam

Event planners of the Melbourne major have revealed the Seven-Figure Quick-Fire Competition, which will pit everyday competitors against elite athletes in a single-elimination format at the Australian Open venue

How the Tournament Functions

Competitors are set to play 'the classic hand game' to decide who gets to serve or return, and the competitor securing the point will move forward to the next round

The champion of the event will take home approximately half a million pounds

Contextually, players who made it to the semi-finals of the men's or women's singles in the previous year's tournament won A$1.1m

Past Comparable Tournaments

The US Open staged a redesigned, independent combined gender tournament in the eighth month which encouraged top singles players to participate, with the winners receiving one million US dollars

The Melbourne tournament held its inaugural single-point competition earlier this year, but the total purse was sixty thousand Australian dollars and it had limited exposure

One top competitor was the single high-ranked athlete involved, and his progress finished when he put the sole serving chance granted failing to clear the net in his quarter-final

Event Specifics

Officials have not detailed exactly how the event will function, but it is expected to follow a akin setup to this year's edition

The professionals will be granted to serve once and the amateurs two times - as is the norm in standard play

While it is uncertain how the draw will work, there will be several competitive phases and the location will be the Rod Laver Arena rather than the smaller Kia Arena

The final stages will occur in a evening slot instead of 1pm local time

Entry Details

Local players - or overseas competitors who have registered with the governing body - can participate 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 region and area selected to compete in the 'grand finale' in a nighttime event on the specified date

There will also be a entry tournament in late year which non-professionals, lower ranked pros, famous personalities and sports personalities can enter

It starts on the starting date and the pair of champions will advance to Wednesday's 'championship match' with the remaining non-professionals and 10 professionals

"Regardless of your skill level, the final champion will receive the prize. Entries will start imminently at facilities across the country"

Competition planners stated there were "additional stars to be revealed shortly", while the event portal indicated "famous personalities" would be involved