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Everyday tennis enthusiasts are being offered the chance to claim a seven-figure prize when they take on elite players - featuring top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz - in a one-point battle before the year's first major

Tournament officials of the Australian Open have unveiled the $1 Million Single-Point Tournament, which will match everyday competitors against top-ranked players in a single-elimination format at the tournament grounds

How the Tournament Functions

Players will play 'rock, paper, scissors' to decide who takes the serve or return position, and whoever wins the point will progress to the following stage

The winner of the event will earn approximately half a million pounds

For comparison, players who advanced to the semi-finals of the primary tournaments in the 2025 Australian Open won substantial prize money

Earlier Comparable Tournaments

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

The year's first major held its debut quick-fire event this year, but the prize fund was a smaller amount and it received minimal attention

One top competitor was the only top-10 player participating, and his run came to an end when he put the one and only serve granted failing to clear the net in his quarter-final

Tournament Information

Officials have not specified precisely how the event will function, but it is projected to mirror a comparable structure to the most recent iteration

The professionals will be allowed to make one service and the non-professionals twice - as is the usual procedure in traditional tennis

While it is not certain how the pairings will work, there will be five knockout rounds and the venue will be the primary court rather than the secondary venue

The concluding rounds will be held in a night session instead of midday timing

Entry Information

Any Australians - or foreign participants who have signed up with the governing body - can enter 'One Point Slam' tournaments at their community centers

The victors of the grassroots tournaments will then go into a random pairing, with an everyday competitor from every region and area chosen to compete in the 'final competition' in a evening match on Wednesday, 14 January

There will also be a qualifying draw in late year which non-professionals, lower ranked pros, celebrities and sport stars can compete in

It starts on Monday, 12 January and the successful competitors will go into the following day's 'championship match' with the additional everyday players and top-ranked athletes

"Whether you're an amateur or a pro, the final champion will walk away with the reward. Entries will open soon at venues throughout the nation"

Tournament officials said there were "further celebrities to be unveiled imminently", while the event portal mentioned "well-known figures" would be taking part