Alcaraz to Face Everyday Players in Million Dollar Winner-Takes-All Event
Amateur players will have an opportunity to claim one million Australian dollars when they take on world-class athletes - featuring world number one Carlos Alcaraz - in a one-point battle before January's Australian Open
Organizers of the year's first Grand Slam have revealed the $1 Million Single-Point Tournament, which will match 10 amateur players against 22 professionals in a single-elimination format at the Australian Open venue
How the Tournament Functions
Competitors are set to play 'rock, paper, scissors' to decide who gets to serve or return, and the player who wins the point will advance to the following stage
The winner of the event will receive £490,000
For comparison, players who advanced to the final four of the main draw competitions in the last edition won substantial prize money
Past Related Competitions
The New York major hosted a revamped, standalone combined gender tournament in August which motivated top singles players to participate, with the victors receiving $1m
The Melbourne tournament held its inaugural One Point Slam this year, but the prize fund was a smaller amount and it generated little publicity
The Russian player was the single high-ranked athlete participating, and his campaign came to an end when he put the sole serving chance permitted failing to clear the net in his last eight match
Tournament Information
Planners have not detailed exactly how the event will function, but it is anticipated to mirror a akin setup to the previous version
The professionals will be granted to serve once and the non-professionals twice - as is the usual procedure in traditional tennis
While it is not certain how the draw will work, there will be five knockout rounds and the venue will be the main stadium rather than the alternative court
The last matches will occur in a evening slot instead of 1pm local time
Participation Information
Domestic competitors - or international players who have registered with the national federation - can participate in 'quick-match event' competitions at their local tennis clubs
The champions of the local competitions will then go into a draw, with an everyday competitor from every state and territory picked to take part in the 'grand finale' in a evening match on the specified date
There will also be a entry tournament in late year which everyday players, aspiring competitors, celebrities and sport stars can compete in
It starts on Monday, 12 January and the successful competitors will qualify for Wednesday's 'championship match' with the additional everyday players and elite competitors
"Whether you're an amateur or a pro, the final champion will receive the prize. Registrations will open soon at venues across the country"
Tournament officials mentioned there were "additional stars to be unveiled imminently", while the official website said "well-known figures" would be taking part