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Amateur players are getting an opportunity to earn one million Australian dollars when they face world-class athletes - featuring top-ranked the Spanish champion - in a single-point showdown prior to the Australian Grand Slam

Organizers of the year's first Grand Slam have unveiled the Seven-Figure Quick-Fire Competition, which will pit a dozen non-professionals against top-ranked players in a knockout tournament at Melbourne Park

The Unique Tournament Functions

Players will play 'rock, paper, scissors' to establish who gets to serve or return, and the competitor securing the point will progress to the next round

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

For comparison, players who advanced to the semi-finals of the men's or women's singles in the last edition won substantial prize money

Previous Comparable Tournaments

The US Open hosted a restructured, independent mixed doubles tournament in August which encouraged top singles players to compete, with the victors receiving $1m

The Melbourne tournament held its debut One Point Slam earlier this year, but the prize fund was sixty thousand Australian dollars and it received minimal attention

Andrey Rublev was the only top-10 player competing, and his campaign concluded when he directed the sole serving chance allowed failing to clear the net in his last eight match

Tournament Information

Planners have not specified precisely how the event will operate, but it is expected to follow a similar format to the previous version

The top competitors will be granted to have a single serve and the non-professionals twice - as is the norm in traditional tennis

While it is not certain how the bracket will work, there will be several competitive phases and the site will be the Rod Laver Arena rather than the secondary venue

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

Entry Requirements

Any Australians - or overseas competitors who have signed up with Tennis Australia - can enter 'single-point competition' tournaments at their local tennis clubs

The champions of the local competitions will then go into a random pairing, with one amateur player from every geographic division chosen to compete in the 'final competition' in a nighttime event on Wednesday, 14 January

There will also be a qualifying draw in December which amateurs, developing professionals, well-known figures and athletic celebrities can compete in

It commences on Monday, 12 January and the successful competitors will qualify for the following day's 'championship match' with the other eight amateurs and elite competitors

"Whether you're an amateur or a pro, the ultimate winner will walk away with the reward. Applications will open soon at venues nationwide"

Competition planners mentioned there were "further celebrities to be revealed shortly", while the event portal mentioned "famous personalities" would be involved