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Recreational competitors are being offered an opportunity to earn A$1m when they face tennis' top professionals - featuring top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz - in a winner-takes-all point prior to January's Australian Open

Organizers of the Melbourne major have announced the Million Dollar One Point Slam, which will pair everyday competitors against elite athletes in a elimination competition at Melbourne Park

The Unique Tournament Functions

Competitors are set to play 'rock, paper, scissors' to decide who serves or receives, and the competitor securing the point will move forward to the following stage

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

Contextually, players who advanced to the penultimate round of the men's or women's singles in the 2025 Australian Open won over a million Australian dollars

Previous Related Competitions

The US Open hosted a restructured, separate mixed doubles tournament in August which prompted top singles players to participate, with the victors receiving one million US dollars

The Australian Open held its debut One Point Slam in the current season, but the cash prize was A$60,000 and it had limited exposure

One top competitor was the single high-ranked athlete competing, and his progress came to an end when he directed the single service opportunity granted failing to clear the net in his penultimate round

Event Details

Organizers have not specified precisely how the event will work, but it is projected to follow a similar format to the most recent iteration

The top competitors will be permitted to make one service and the non-professionals on two occasions - as is the norm in traditional tennis

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

The last matches will occur in a nighttime schedule instead of midday timing

Entry Details

Local players - or foreign participants who have registered with Tennis Australia - can enter 'quick-match event' events at their local tennis clubs

The winners of the community events will then go into a random pairing, with one amateur player from every region and area picked to participate in the 'grand finale' in a nighttime event on Wednesday, 14 January

There will also be a qualifying draw in the final month which amateurs, aspiring competitors, well-known figures and sport stars can compete in

It starts on Monday, 12 January and the pair of champions will go into the following day's 'final showdown' with the additional everyday players and top-ranked athletes

"No matter your experience, the overall victor will receive the reward. Applications will begin shortly at venues nationwide"

Competition planners said there were "more big names to be revealed shortly", while the event portal said "famous personalities" would be involved