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Recreational competitors are getting the possibility to win one million Australian dollars when they compete against world-class athletes - including top-ranked the Spanish champion - in a single-point showdown before January's Australian Open

Tournament officials of the Melbourne major have announced the $1 Million Single-Point Tournament, which will pair a dozen non-professionals against top-ranked players in a elimination competition at Melbourne Park

This Innovative Event Will Work

Players will play 'the classic hand game' to decide who serves or receives, and the competitor securing the point will move forward to the subsequent phase

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

Contextually, players who reached the semi-finals of the main draw competitions in the 2025 Australian Open won A$1.1m

Past Related Competitions

The New York major organized a redesigned, separate mixed doubles tournament in the eighth month which prompted top singles players to take part, with the victors receiving one million US dollars

The year's first major held its inaugural single-point competition earlier this year, but the cash prize was sixty thousand Australian dollars and it had limited exposure

Andrey Rublev was the single high-ranked athlete participating, and his run finished when he sent the single service opportunity allowed into the mesh in his last eight match

Tournament Details

Planners have not specified precisely how the event will function, but it is anticipated to emulate a comparable structure to the most recent iteration

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

While it is unclear how the bracket will work, there will be multiple elimination stages and the location will be the primary court rather than the secondary venue

The concluding rounds will occur in a night session instead of midday timing

Entry Details

Local players - or overseas competitors who have signed up with the governing body - can compete in 'One Point Slam' competitions at their neighborhood facilities

The winners of the local competitions will then go into a draw, with a single non-professional from every region and area chosen to take part in the 'grand finale' in a night session on mid-January

There will also be a qualifying draw in December which non-professionals, developing professionals, famous personalities and sport stars can enter

It begins on Monday, 12 January and the pair of champions will go into Wednesday's 'final showdown' with the additional everyday players and top-ranked athletes

"Whether you're an amateur or a pro, the overall victor will receive the award. Entries will open soon at facilities nationwide"

Tournament officials mentioned there were "more big names to be announced soon", while the official website said "celebrities" would be participating