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Everyday tennis enthusiasts will have the possibility to claim a seven-figure prize when they take on tennis' top professionals - headed by leading player Carlos Alcaraz - in a winner-takes-all point prior to January's Australian Open

Organizers of the Australian Open have revealed the $1 Million Single-Point Tournament, which will pit 10 amateur players against elite athletes in a elimination competition at the tournament grounds

How the Tournament Functions

Players will play 'the classic hand game' to establish who serves or receives, and the player who wins the point will move forward to the next round

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

For comparison, players who reached the penultimate round of the main draw competitions in the 2025 Australian Open won substantial prize money

Past Related Competitions

The New York major staged a revamped, independent combined gender tournament in the eighth month which prompted top singles players to take part, with the winners receiving a million-dollar prize

The year's first major held its debut One Point Slam in the current season, but the cash prize was a smaller amount and it generated little publicity

One top competitor was the single high-ranked athlete competing, and his run concluded when he put the sole serving chance permitted failing to clear the net in his quarter-final

Competition Specifics

Planners have not said exactly how the event will function, but it is expected to emulate a akin setup to this year's edition

The professionals will be permitted to make one service and the everyday players two times - as is the norm in conventional tennis

While it is uncertain how the draw will work, there will be several competitive phases and the location will be the Rod Laver Arena rather than the smaller Kia Arena

The last matches will take place in a nighttime schedule instead of 1pm local time

Entry Information

Any Australians - or foreign participants who have enrolled with the governing body - can participate in 'single-point competition' events at their neighborhood facilities

The champions of the local competitions will then go into a draw, with one amateur player from every state and territory picked to compete in the 'grand finale' in a evening match on mid-January

There will also be a preliminary competition in late year which amateurs, lower ranked pros, well-known figures and athletic celebrities can enter

It begins on Monday, 12 January and the two winners will advance to the following day's 'championship match' with the additional everyday players and elite competitors

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

Tournament officials mentioned there were "more big names to be revealed shortly", while the event portal said "famous personalities" would be taking part