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Amateur players are being offered the chance to claim one million Australian dollars when they take on tennis' top professionals - including world number one Carlos Alcaraz - in a one-point battle before the Australian Grand Slam

Event planners of the Melbourne major have unveiled the Seven-Figure Quick-Fire Competition, which will match 10 amateur players against 22 professionals in a knockout tournament at the tournament grounds

How the Competition Operates

Competitors are set to play 'rock, paper, scissors' to decide who takes the serve or return position, and the player who wins the point will advance to the subsequent phase

The victor of the event will receive approximately half a million pounds

By comparison, players who advanced to the semi-finals of the primary tournaments in the previous year's tournament won substantial prize money

Past Comparable Tournaments

The New York major organized a restructured, standalone combined gender tournament in late summer which prompted top singles players to take part, with the victors receiving one million US dollars

The year's first major held its debut One Point Slam in the current season, but the cash prize was A$60,000 and it generated little publicity

Andrey Rublev was the sole elite competitor involved, and his progress finished when he directed the single service opportunity allowed into the mesh in his last eight match

Tournament Details

Planners have not specified precisely how the event will work, but it is anticipated to mirror a similar format to the previous version

The elite players will be granted to serve once and the amateurs twice - as is the standard practice in standard play

While it is unclear how the draw will work, there will be multiple elimination stages and the site will be the Rod Laver Arena rather than the alternative court

The final stages will be held in a evening slot instead of midday timing

Competitor Requirements

Local players - or overseas competitors who have registered with the national federation - can enter 'quick-match event' competitions at their neighborhood facilities

The winners of the community events 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 night session on mid-January

There will also be a preliminary competition in late year which everyday players, lower ranked pros, well-known figures and sports personalities can enter

It commences on the starting date and the pair of champions will advance to Wednesday's 'grand finale' with the remaining non-professionals and elite competitors

"Whether you're an amateur or a pro, the final champion will receive the award. Registrations will begin shortly at clubs throughout the nation"

Tournament officials said there were "additional stars to be announced soon", while the tournament site said "well-known figures" would be involved