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Amateur players are getting an opportunity to earn one million Australian dollars when they take on world-class athletes - including leading player the Spanish champion - in a single-point showdown prior to the year's first major

Tournament officials of the Melbourne major have revealed the Million Dollar One Point Slam, which will pit everyday competitors against top-ranked players in a elimination competition at Melbourne Park

This Innovative Event Will Work

Players will play 'the decision-making game' to establish who takes the serve or return position, and the player who wins the point will move forward to the next round

The champion of the event will take home a significant cash prize

By comparison, players who reached the final four of the primary tournaments in the previous year's tournament won over a million Australian dollars

Past Related Competitions

The US Open staged a restructured, standalone combined gender tournament in the eighth month which motivated top singles players to compete, with the winners receiving a million-dollar prize

The Australian Open held its debut single-point competition in the current season, but the prize fund was a smaller amount and it received minimal attention

Andrey Rublev was the only top-10 player competing, and his run finished when he sent the sole serving chance granted into the mesh in his quarter-final

Competition Specifics

Organizers have not specified precisely how the event will function, but it is projected to mirror a similar format to the most recent iteration

The professionals will be allowed to make one service and the non-professionals on two occasions - as is the usual procedure in conventional tennis

While it is uncertain how the pairings will work, there will be multiple elimination stages and the site will be the primary court rather than the smaller Kia Arena

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

Entry Requirements

Domestic competitors - or foreign participants who have enrolled with the national federation - can participate in 'One Point Slam' competitions at their neighborhood facilities

The victors of the grassroots tournaments will then go into a random pairing, with an everyday competitor from every region and area chosen to take part in the 'final competition' in a evening match on mid-January

There will also be a preliminary competition in December which everyday players, aspiring competitors, well-known figures and sports personalities can compete in

It commences on early January and the pair of champions will advance to Wednesday's 'championship match' with the additional everyday players and elite competitors

"No matter your experience, the overall victor will receive the prize. Entries will start imminently at facilities across the country"

Tournament officials said there were "additional stars to be revealed shortly", while the event portal indicated "famous personalities" would be participating