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Recreational competitors are being offered the possibility to claim a seven-figure prize when they take on world-class athletes - featuring top-ranked the Spanish champion - in a winner-takes-all point before January's Australian Open

Organizers of the year's first Grand Slam have announced the Seven-Figure Quick-Fire Competition, which will pit 10 amateur players against 22 professionals in a elimination competition at Melbourne Park

How the Event Will Work

Players will play 'rock, paper, scissors' to establish who gets to serve or return, and whoever wins the point will move forward to the next round

The champion of the event will earn £490,000

Contextually, players who advanced to the final four of the main draw competitions in the previous year's tournament won over a million Australian dollars

Past Similar Events

The US Open organized a revamped, independent combined gender tournament in late summer which motivated top singles players to compete, with the winners receiving one million US dollars

The Australian Open held its inaugural single-point competition this year, but the prize fund was sixty thousand Australian dollars and it generated little publicity

Andrey Rublev was the single high-ranked athlete participating, and his campaign concluded when he put the single service opportunity granted failing to clear the net in his quarter-final

Event Specifics

Planners have not detailed exactly how the event will function, but it is anticipated to mirror a akin setup to this year's edition

The elite players will be permitted to have a single serve and the non-professionals twice - as is the standard practice in traditional tennis

While it is uncertain how the pairings will work, there will be multiple elimination stages and the site will be the main stadium rather than the secondary venue

The last matches will be held in a evening slot instead of 1pm local time

Participation Details

Any Australians - or foreign participants who have enrolled with Tennis Australia - can participate in 'One Point Slam' competitions at their neighborhood facilities

The victors of the community events will then go into a selection process, with a single non-professional from every geographic division chosen to compete in the 'final competition' in a evening match on mid-January

There will also be a preliminary competition in the final month which everyday players, aspiring competitors, celebrities and sports personalities can participate in

It begins on early January and the pair of champions will advance to Wednesday's 'final showdown' with the remaining non-professionals and top-ranked athletes

"Regardless of your skill level, the ultimate winner will claim the prize. Applications will open soon at facilities across the country"

Tournament officials stated there were "additional stars to be revealed shortly", while the official website indicated "famous personalities" would be involved