Carlos Alcaraz Ready to Battle Amateurs in Seven-Figure One Point Slam

Amateur players are being offered the chance to claim A$1m when they take on tennis' top professionals - headed by top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz - in a one-point battle before January's Australian Open

Organizers of the Melbourne major have unveiled the Seven-Figure Quick-Fire Competition, which will pit a dozen non-professionals against top-ranked players in a elimination competition at the Australian Open venue

This Innovative Competition Operates

Participants must play 'rock, paper, scissors' to decide who takes the serve or return position, and the player who wins the point will progress to the subsequent phase

The champion of the event will receive approximately half a million pounds

By comparison, players who reached the penultimate round of the primary tournaments in the last edition won over a million Australian dollars

Past Similar Events

The American Grand Slam organized a redesigned, separate mixed doubles tournament in the eighth month which prompted top singles players to compete, with the champions receiving $1m

The year's first major held its inaugural single-point competition in the current season, but the total purse was a smaller amount and it had limited exposure

The Russian player was the only top-10 player involved, and his campaign came to an end when he sent the sole serving chance permitted failing to clear the net in his penultimate round

Tournament Information

Organizers have not said exactly how the event will operate, but it is anticipated to mirror a similar format to the most recent iteration

The top competitors will be granted to make one service and the amateurs two times - as is the standard practice in conventional tennis

While it is uncertain how the bracket will work, there will be five knockout rounds and the location will be the Rod Laver Arena rather than the smaller Kia Arena

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

Entry Information

Domestic competitors - or overseas competitors who have registered with the national federation - can participate in 'single-point competition' competitions at their community centers

The victors of the community events will then go into a random pairing, with a single non-professional from every state and territory picked to take part in the 'final competition' in a night session on Wednesday, 14 January

There will also be a entry tournament in the final month which amateurs, developing professionals, celebrities and athletic celebrities can compete in

It begins on early January and the two winners will go into the following day's 'grand finale' with the additional everyday players and 10 professionals

"No matter your experience, the ultimate winner will claim the prize. Registrations will begin shortly at facilities across the country"

Event organizers stated there were "additional stars to be revealed shortly", while the event portal indicated "celebrities" would be involved