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Recreational competitors are being offered the possibility to win a seven-figure prize when they take on tennis' top professionals - featuring world number one the Spanish champion - in a one-point battle leading up to the Australian Grand Slam

Organizers of the Australian Open have revealed the Million Dollar One Point Slam, which will match a dozen non-professionals against elite athletes in a single-elimination format at Melbourne Park

How the Tournament Functions

Competitors are set to play 'the classic hand game' to establish who takes the serve or return position, and the competitor securing the point will advance to the next round

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

Contextually, players who advanced to the final four of the primary tournaments in the last edition won over a million Australian dollars

Previous Related Competitions

The US Open staged a restructured, standalone mixed doubles tournament in late summer which prompted top singles players to take part, with the champions receiving one million US dollars

The year's first major held its first-ever quick-fire event this year, but the total purse was sixty thousand Australian dollars and it received minimal attention

The Russian player was the sole elite competitor participating, and his run finished when he put the single service opportunity permitted failing to clear the net in his last eight match

Competition Details

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

The elite players will be allowed to serve once and the amateurs two times - as is the standard practice in standard play

While it is unclear how the bracket will work, there will be multiple elimination stages and the location will be the Rod Laver Arena rather than the alternative court

The final stages will occur in a night session instead of midday timing

Entry Requirements

Local players - or international players who have signed up with the national federation - can enter 'One Point Slam' events at their neighborhood facilities

The champions of the local competitions will then go into a selection process, with an everyday competitor from every geographic division selected to compete in the 'championship round' in a nighttime event on Wednesday, 14 January

There will also be a preliminary competition in late year which non-professionals, developing professionals, well-known figures and sports personalities can participate in

It commences on the starting date and the pair of champions will advance to Wednesday's 'grand finale' with the other eight amateurs and 10 professionals

"Regardless of your skill level, the ultimate winner will claim the award. Registrations will begin shortly at venues across the country"

Competition planners said there were "additional stars to be announced soon", while the event portal mentioned "famous personalities" would be taking part