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Amateur players are being offered an opportunity to earn a seven-figure prize when they take on elite players - featuring world number one the Spanish champion - in a winner-takes-all point leading up to the Australian Grand Slam

Organizers of the year's first Grand Slam have unveiled the $1 Million Single-Point Tournament, which will pair a dozen non-professionals against 22 professionals in a single-elimination format at the Australian Open venue

How the Competition Operates

Participants must play 'the decision-making game' to determine who gets to serve or return, and the competitor securing the point will move forward to the following stage

The winner of the event will earn a significant cash prize

By comparison, players who made it to the semi-finals of the men's or women's singles in the 2025 Australian Open won A$1.1m

Previous Related Competitions

The US Open staged a redesigned, independent mixed doubles tournament in the eighth month which prompted top singles players to compete, with the victors receiving a million-dollar prize

The Melbourne tournament held its debut quick-fire event earlier this year, but the prize fund was sixty thousand Australian dollars and it generated little publicity

The Russian player was the only top-10 player involved, and his progress came to an end when he put the sole serving chance allowed into the net in his last eight match

Tournament Information

Organizers have not specified precisely how the event will work, but it is expected to follow a comparable structure to the previous version

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 uncertain how the draw will work, there will be five knockout rounds and the site will be the main stadium rather than the alternative court

The last matches will take place in a night session instead of midday timing

Participation Details

Local players - or international players who have enrolled with the national federation - can enter 'One Point Slam' competitions at their community centers

The champions of the grassroots tournaments will then go into a selection process, with a single non-professional from every geographic division picked to participate in the 'grand finale' in a night session on Wednesday, 14 January

There will also be a preliminary competition in late year which amateurs, developing professionals, well-known figures and athletic celebrities can participate in

It starts on Monday, 12 January and the successful competitors will advance to the following day's 'championship match' with the remaining non-professionals and top-ranked athletes

"No matter your experience, the ultimate winner will receive the reward. Entries will start imminently at venues nationwide"

Competition planners mentioned there were "more big names to be revealed shortly", while the event portal mentioned "well-known figures" would be taking part