🔗 Share this article

Recreational competitors will have the possibility to earn A$1m when they face elite players - including top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz - in a single-point showdown leading up to the Australian Grand Slam

Organizers of the Australian Open have announced the $1 Million Single-Point Tournament, which will match a dozen non-professionals against elite athletes in a knockout tournament at the tournament grounds

How the Event Will Work

Players will play 'rock, paper, scissors' to establish who gets to serve or return, and whoever wins the point will advance to the following stage

The winner of the event will earn a significant cash prize

For comparison, players who made it to the semi-finals of the primary tournaments in the 2025 Australian Open won over a million Australian dollars

Previous Related Competitions

The US Open staged a revamped, separate combined gender tournament in late summer which encouraged top singles players to compete, with the champions receiving a million-dollar prize

The year's first major held its debut quick-fire event 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 run concluded when he put the sole serving chance permitted into the mesh in his penultimate round

Competition Details

Organizers have not said exactly how the event will function, but it is expected to mirror a similar format to the previous version

The top competitors will be granted to serve once and the non-professionals on two occasions - as is the norm in conventional tennis

While it is not certain how the bracket will work, there will be several competitive phases and the venue will be the main stadium rather than the alternative court

The concluding rounds will occur in a night session instead of early afternoon

Entry Details

Local players - or international players who have registered with Tennis Australia - can participate in 'One Point Slam' competitions at their community centers

The winners of the community events will then go into a draw, with a single non-professional from every geographic division chosen to take part in the 'championship round' in a evening match on Wednesday, 14 January

There will also be a entry tournament in late year which everyday players, aspiring competitors, well-known figures and sport stars can participate in

It begins on early January and the pair of champions will go into Wednesday's 'final showdown' with the remaining non-professionals and 10 professionals

"No matter your experience, the overall victor will receive the prize. Applications will begin shortly at facilities nationwide"

Event organizers said there were "further celebrities to be revealed shortly", while the official website indicated "celebrities" would be participating