Carlos Alcaraz to Face Non-Professionals in Million Dollar One Point Slam
Amateur players are being offered the possibility to win a seven-figure prize when they take on world-class athletes - featuring world number one Carlos Alcaraz - in a single-point showdown leading up to the year's first major
Tournament officials of the year's first Grand Slam have revealed the $1 Million Single-Point Tournament, which will match everyday competitors against elite athletes in a elimination competition at the Australian Open venue
How the Event Will Work
Players will play 'the classic hand game' to determine who serves or receives, and the competitor securing the point will advance to the following stage
The champion of the event will earn a significant cash prize
For comparison, players who advanced to the final four of the men's or women's singles in the previous year's tournament won A$1.1m
Previous Comparable Tournaments
The American Grand Slam staged a redesigned, standalone mixed doubles tournament in late summer which prompted top singles players to participate, with the champions receiving a million-dollar prize
The year's first major held its debut single-point competition earlier this year, but the cash prize was a smaller amount and it generated little publicity
Andrey Rublev was the only top-10 player involved, and his run concluded when he sent the sole serving chance allowed into the net in his last eight match
Competition Details
Officials have not specified precisely how the event will function, but it is anticipated to emulate a akin setup to the most recent iteration
The top competitors will be granted to have a single serve and the amateurs on two occasions - as is the norm in conventional tennis
While it is not certain how the pairings will work, there will be five knockout rounds and the venue 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 Requirements
Any Australians - or international players who have enrolled with Tennis Australia - can enter 'One Point Slam' events at their local tennis clubs
The winners of the community events will then go into a random pairing, with an everyday competitor from every state and territory chosen to compete in the 'championship round' in a nighttime event on mid-January
There will also be a qualifying draw in December which everyday players, lower ranked pros, well-known figures and sports personalities can compete in
It begins on early January and the pair of champions will go into the midweek 'championship match' with the additional everyday players and 10 professionals
"No matter your experience, the overall victor will walk away with the reward. Entries will open soon at facilities nationwide"
Tournament officials said there were "more big names to be revealed shortly", while the official website mentioned "celebrities" would be taking part