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Recreational competitors will have the possibility to win one million Australian dollars when they compete against world-class athletes - including world number one the Spanish champion - in a one-point battle prior to the Australian Grand Slam

Organizers of the Australian Open have announced the $1 Million Single-Point Tournament, which will pair 10 amateur players against top-ranked players in a single-elimination format at the Australian Open venue

This Innovative Event Will Work

Participants must play 'rock, paper, scissors' to decide who takes the serve or return position, and whoever wins the point will progress to the next round

The winner of the event will take home £490,000

For comparison, players who reached the final four of the men's or women's singles in the previous year's tournament won over a million Australian dollars

Past Similar Events

The New York major hosted a redesigned, standalone combined gender tournament in late summer which motivated top singles players to take part, with the victors receiving $1m

The Melbourne tournament held its first-ever single-point competition this year, but the total purse was sixty thousand Australian dollars and it had limited exposure

One top competitor was the only top-10 player participating, and his campaign came to an end when he directed the one and only serve allowed failing to clear the net in his penultimate round

Tournament Specifics

Officials have not said exactly how the event will function, but it is projected to mirror a comparable structure to this year's edition

The elite players will be granted to serve once and the everyday players twice - as is the standard practice in conventional tennis

While it is unclear how the bracket will work, there will be five knockout rounds and the venue will be the main stadium rather than the secondary venue

The final stages will take place in a evening slot instead of 1pm local time

Competitor Details

Domestic competitors - or international players who have enrolled with Tennis Australia - can compete in 'quick-match event' tournaments at their community centers

The champions of the grassroots tournaments will then go into a selection process, with one amateur player from every geographic division chosen to take part in the 'grand finale' in a evening match on Wednesday, 14 January

There will also be a entry tournament in the final month which amateurs, developing professionals, famous personalities and sports personalities can compete in

It commences on early January and the successful competitors will qualify for the midweek 'grand finale' with the remaining non-professionals and 10 professionals

"Whether you're an amateur or a pro, the final champion will claim the reward. Applications will start imminently at clubs across the country"

Tournament officials mentioned there were "further celebrities to be unveiled imminently", while the tournament site said "famous personalities" would be involved