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Everyday tennis enthusiasts are being offered the chance to win a seven-figure prize when they compete against tennis' top professionals - featuring world number one Carlos Alcaraz - in a one-point battle before the Australian Grand Slam

Tournament officials of the Australian Open have unveiled the Million Dollar One Point Slam, which will pit a dozen non-professionals against top-ranked players in a knockout tournament at Melbourne Park

This Innovative Competition Operates

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

The victor of the event will receive £490,000

For comparison, players who made it to the penultimate round of the main draw competitions in the 2025 Australian Open won A$1.1m

Earlier Related Competitions

The American Grand Slam organized a restructured, separate mixed doubles tournament in late summer which motivated top singles players to take part, with the victors receiving a million-dollar prize

The Melbourne tournament held its debut single-point competition in the current season, but the total purse was A$60,000 and it generated little publicity

Andrey Rublev was the only top-10 player involved, and his progress concluded when he sent the sole serving chance granted into the net in his penultimate round

Competition Information

Officials have not detailed exactly how the event will work, but it is anticipated to mirror a akin setup to the previous version

The top competitors will be granted to have a single serve and the non-professionals twice - as is the standard practice in traditional tennis

While it is unclear how the pairings will work, there will be several competitive phases and the site will be the Rod Laver Arena rather than the smaller Kia Arena

The final stages will take place in a nighttime schedule instead of early afternoon

Participation Details

Domestic competitors - or foreign participants who have enrolled with the national federation - can compete in 'quick-match event' events at their neighborhood facilities

The winners of the local competitions will then go into a draw, with one amateur player from every region and area selected to compete in the 'championship round' in a evening match on the specified date

There will also be a entry tournament in December which non-professionals, lower ranked pros, well-known figures and sports personalities can compete in

It starts on early January and the pair of champions will advance to the midweek 'grand finale' with the remaining non-professionals and 10 professionals

"Whether you're an amateur or a pro, the ultimate winner will receive the prize. Entries will start imminently at clubs across the country"

Competition planners stated there were "further celebrities to be revealed shortly", while the official website said "celebrities" would be participating