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Everyday tennis enthusiasts are being offered the chance to claim one million Australian dollars when they face elite players - featuring world number one the Spanish champion - in a winner-takes-all point before the Australian Grand Slam

Organizers of the Australian Open have unveiled the Million Dollar One Point Slam, which will pair 10 amateur players against elite athletes in a single-elimination format at the tournament grounds

This Innovative Event Will Work

Participants must play 'the decision-making game' to decide who serves or receives, and the player who wins the point will move forward to the next round

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

Contextually, players who reached the semi-finals of the primary tournaments in the last edition won A$1.1m

Past Comparable Tournaments

The New York major hosted a restructured, standalone combined gender tournament in late summer which motivated top singles players to compete, with the champions receiving a million-dollar prize

The Melbourne tournament held its debut quick-fire event earlier this year, but the total purse was A$60,000 and it generated little publicity

The Russian player was the sole elite competitor competing, and his campaign finished when he put the sole serving chance granted failing to clear the net in his quarter-final

Event Specifics

Organizers have not said exactly how the event will operate, but it is expected to mirror a comparable structure to the most recent iteration

The professionals will be allowed to serve once 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 venue will be the main stadium rather than the smaller Kia Arena

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

Competitor Requirements

Any Australians - or international players who have signed up with the governing body - can compete in 'single-point competition' competitions at their local tennis clubs

The champions of the community events will then go into a draw, with a single non-professional from every region and area picked to compete in the 'championship round' in a evening match on Wednesday, 14 January

There will also be a preliminary competition in the final month which amateurs, aspiring competitors, celebrities and sport stars can enter

It commences on the starting date and the successful competitors will qualify for the following day's 'final showdown' with the additional everyday players and 10 professionals

"Regardless of your skill level, the overall victor will receive the reward. Applications will start imminently at facilities throughout the nation"

Competition planners said there were "additional stars to be unveiled imminently", while the event portal mentioned "celebrities" would be taking part