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Amateur players are being offered an opportunity to win one million Australian dollars when they take on elite players - headed by leading player Carlos Alcaraz - in a single-point showdown leading up to January's Australian Open

Organizers of the Melbourne major have unveiled the Seven-Figure Quick-Fire Competition, which will match 10 amateur players against top-ranked players in a single-elimination format at the Australian Open venue

The Unique Tournament Functions

Players will play 'the classic hand game' to determine who gets to serve or return, and the competitor securing the point will advance to the following stage

The champion of the event will take home approximately half a million pounds

Contextually, players who made it to the final four of the men's or women's singles in the previous year's tournament won substantial prize money

Past Similar Events

The New York major hosted a redesigned, independent mixed doubles tournament in the eighth month which prompted top singles players to compete, with the champions receiving a million-dollar prize

The year's first major held its first-ever quick-fire event in the current season, but the cash prize was a smaller amount and it generated little publicity

The Russian player was the single high-ranked athlete competing, and his campaign finished when he put the single service opportunity granted into the net in his last eight match

Event Information

Planners have not said exactly how the event will operate, but it is anticipated to follow a comparable structure to the previous version

The professionals will be granted to serve once and the non-professionals two times - as is the norm in traditional tennis

While it is unclear how the pairings will work, there will be several competitive phases and the location will be the primary court rather than the secondary venue

The concluding rounds will be held in a evening slot instead of 1pm local time

Competitor Requirements

Local players - or foreign participants who have registered with the governing body - can enter 'single-point competition' events at their community centers

The victors 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 'grand finale' in a evening match on mid-January

There will also be a qualifying draw in the final month which non-professionals, lower ranked pros, celebrities and sports personalities can compete in

It commences on the starting date and the two winners will advance to the following day's 'grand finale' with the other eight amateurs and elite competitors

"Regardless of your skill level, the ultimate winner will walk away with the prize. Entries will start imminently at clubs across the country"

Tournament officials said there were "additional stars to be revealed shortly", while the tournament site mentioned "well-known figures" would be taking part