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Everyday tennis enthusiasts will have the chance to earn A$1m when they compete against tennis' top professionals - headed by top-ranked the Spanish champion - in a single-point showdown prior to January's Australian Open

Organizers of the Melbourne major have revealed the $1 Million Single-Point Tournament, which will match a dozen non-professionals against top-ranked players in a single-elimination format at the Australian Open venue

How the Tournament Functions

Competitors are set to play 'the decision-making game' to decide who serves or receives, and the player who wins the point will progress to the following stage

The winner of the event will receive £490,000

For comparison, players who reached the semi-finals of the main draw competitions in the previous year's tournament won A$1.1m

Previous Comparable Tournaments

The New York major organized a redesigned, separate combined gender tournament in late summer which prompted top singles players to take part, with the victors receiving one million US dollars

The Australian Open held its inaugural One Point Slam in the current season, but the prize fund was A$60,000 and it generated little publicity

The Russian player was the single high-ranked athlete involved, and his run finished when he put the one and only serve allowed into the net in his quarter-final

Competition Details

Organizers have not specified precisely how the event will operate, but it is expected to emulate a similar format to this year's edition

The top competitors will be allowed to serve once and the non-professionals twice - as is the usual procedure in conventional tennis

While it is not certain how the bracket will work, there will be several competitive phases and the venue will be the Rod Laver Arena rather than the smaller Kia Arena

The last matches will be held in a night session instead of 1pm local time

Entry Information

Local players - or international players who have registered with the national federation - can participate in 'quick-match event' competitions at their local tennis clubs

The victors of the local competitions will then go into a selection process, with one amateur player from every region and area selected to compete in the 'championship round' in a nighttime event on mid-January

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

It starts on Monday, 12 January and the successful competitors will advance to the midweek 'grand finale' with the other eight amateurs and elite competitors

"No matter your experience, the final champion will claim the award. Entries will begin shortly at facilities throughout the nation"

Event organizers said there were "further celebrities to be revealed shortly", while the official website mentioned "celebrities" would be involved