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Recreational competitors are getting an opportunity to claim one million Australian dollars when they compete against tennis' top professionals - including world number one the Spanish champion - in a one-point battle prior to January's Australian Open

Tournament officials of the year's first Grand Slam have unveiled the Million Dollar One Point Slam, which will pair everyday competitors against 22 professionals in a single-elimination format at Melbourne Park

How the Event Will Work

Players will play 'rock, paper, scissors' to establish who serves or receives, and the player who wins the point will advance to the subsequent phase

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

By comparison, players who reached the penultimate round of the men's or women's singles in the previous year's tournament won A$1.1m

Past Related Competitions

The US Open organized a revamped, separate combined gender tournament in August which encouraged top singles players to compete, with the victors receiving a million-dollar prize

The Melbourne tournament held its debut single-point competition earlier this year, but the prize fund was A$60,000 and it generated little publicity

The Russian player was the only top-10 player competing, and his campaign came to an end when he sent the single service opportunity permitted into the net in his penultimate round

Competition Specifics

Officials have not detailed exactly how the event will function, but it is projected to follow a akin setup to the previous version

The elite players will be granted to make one service and the amateurs twice - as is the norm in conventional tennis

While it is uncertain how the bracket will work, there will be five knockout rounds and the site will be the primary court rather than the alternative court

The concluding rounds will occur in a evening slot instead of 1pm local time

Entry Requirements

Local players - or foreign participants who have enrolled with the governing body - can participate in 'One Point Slam' competitions at their local tennis clubs

The victors of the grassroots tournaments will then go into a selection process, with one amateur player from every region and area selected to compete in the 'championship round' in a evening match on Wednesday, 14 January

There will also be a qualifying draw in the final month which everyday players, lower ranked pros, famous personalities and athletic celebrities can participate in

It begins on the starting date and the two winners will go into the following day's 'grand finale' with the remaining non-professionals and top-ranked athletes

"Regardless of your skill level, the ultimate winner will receive the prize. Registrations will begin shortly at facilities throughout the nation"

Tournament officials mentioned there were "additional stars to be unveiled imminently", while the official website mentioned "well-known figures" would be participating