Alcaraz Ready to Battle Amateurs in Million Dollar One Point Slam

Recreational competitors will have an opportunity to claim one million Australian dollars when they compete against elite players - headed by top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz - in a winner-takes-all point prior to January's Australian Open

Organizers of the Australian Open have revealed the Million Dollar One Point Slam, which will pit a dozen non-professionals against 22 professionals in a knockout tournament at the tournament grounds

How the Competition Operates

Participants must play 'the decision-making game' to decide who gets to serve or return, and the player who wins the point will progress to the subsequent phase

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

Contextually, players who advanced to the semi-finals of the primary tournaments in the previous year's tournament won over a million Australian dollars

Earlier Related Competitions

The New York major hosted a restructured, separate combined gender tournament in August which motivated top singles players to compete, with the winners receiving a million-dollar prize

The Australian Open held its inaugural single-point competition in the current season, but the cash prize was sixty thousand Australian dollars and it had limited exposure

The Russian player was the single high-ranked athlete involved, and his campaign concluded when he put the single service opportunity permitted into the net in his quarter-final

Tournament Specifics

Organizers have not said exactly how the event will work, but it is projected to follow a comparable structure to the most recent iteration

The professionals will be allowed to make one service and the non-professionals two times - as is the norm in standard play

While it is unclear how the pairings will work, there will be five knockout rounds and the location will be the primary court rather than the alternative court

The final stages will occur in a nighttime schedule instead of 1pm local time

Participation Requirements

Any Australians - or international players who have signed up with the governing body - can enter 'quick-match event' competitions at their community centers

The victors of the grassroots tournaments will then go into a random pairing, with one amateur player from every geographic division chosen to compete in the 'grand finale' in a night session on Wednesday, 14 January

There will also be a entry tournament in December which everyday players, aspiring competitors, famous personalities and sport stars can enter

It begins on early January and the pair of champions will go into the midweek 'grand finale' with the other eight amateurs and elite competitors

"No matter your experience, the final champion will receive the award. Registrations will open soon at clubs throughout the nation"

Event organizers mentioned there were "additional stars to be revealed shortly", while the official website said "well-known figures" would be taking part