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Amateur players will have the possibility to win one million Australian dollars when they take on tennis' top professionals - featuring world number one Carlos Alcaraz - in a single-point showdown prior to the year's first major

Tournament officials of the Australian Open have announced the Seven-Figure Quick-Fire Competition, which will pair everyday competitors against 22 professionals in a knockout tournament at the Australian Open venue

This Innovative Event Will Work

Players will play 'the decision-making game' to decide who takes the serve or return position, and the player who wins the point will progress to the subsequent phase

The victor of the event will earn a significant cash prize

Contextually, players who reached the penultimate round of the main draw competitions in the last edition won A$1.1m

Earlier Comparable Tournaments

The American Grand Slam hosted a revamped, separate combined gender tournament in late summer which encouraged top singles players to participate, with the winners receiving a million-dollar prize

The Australian Open held its first-ever quick-fire event earlier this year, but the cash prize was a smaller amount and it generated little publicity

One top competitor was the sole elite competitor involved, and his campaign finished when he directed the sole serving chance granted into the mesh in his quarter-final

Competition Specifics

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

The elite players will be permitted to have a single serve and the everyday players twice - as is the usual procedure in traditional tennis

While it is unclear how the draw will work, there will be five knockout rounds and the location will be the primary court rather than the secondary venue

The final stages will occur in a nighttime schedule instead of early afternoon

Participation Requirements

Domestic competitors - or foreign participants who have enrolled with Tennis Australia - can participate in 'single-point competition' competitions at their neighborhood facilities

The champions of the grassroots tournaments will then go into a random pairing, with a single non-professional from every state and territory chosen to compete in the 'grand finale' in a evening match on Wednesday, 14 January

There will also be a preliminary competition in the final month which non-professionals, developing professionals, well-known figures and sport stars can compete in

It commences on early January and the successful competitors will advance to the midweek 'final showdown' with the other eight amateurs and elite competitors

"Whether you're an amateur or a pro, the final champion will walk away with the prize. Registrations will open soon at venues nationwide"

Competition planners stated there were "additional stars to be unveiled imminently", while the official website indicated "well-known figures" would be participating