Recreational competitors are getting an opportunity to win a seven-figure prize when they compete against tennis' top professionals - featuring top-ranked the Spanish champion - in a winner-takes-all point prior to January's Australian Open
Event planners of the Australian Open have announced the Million Dollar One Point Slam, which will pit a dozen non-professionals against elite athletes in a elimination competition at the Australian Open venue
The Unique Tournament Functions
Players will play 'rock, paper, scissors' to establish who takes the serve or return position, and whoever wins the point will move forward to the next round
The champion of the event will receive a significant cash prize
Contextually, players who advanced to the semi-finals of the main draw competitions in the previous year's tournament won substantial prize money
Past Related Competitions
The New York major staged a restructured, independent mixed doubles tournament in the eighth month which motivated top singles players to participate, with the victors receiving $1m
The Australian Open held its debut single-point competition earlier this year, but the cash prize was sixty thousand Australian dollars and it generated little publicity
The Russian player was the only top-10 player involved, and his progress concluded when he put the sole serving chance permitted into the net in his last eight match
Tournament Specifics
Officials have not specified precisely how the event will work, but it is anticipated to follow a comparable structure to this year's edition
The professionals will be permitted to make one service and the everyday players twice - as is the usual procedure in traditional tennis
While it is uncertain how the bracket will work, there will be multiple elimination stages and the site will be the Rod Laver Arena rather than the smaller Kia Arena
The final stages will take place in a evening slot instead of early afternoon
Entry Details
Domestic competitors - or foreign participants who have registered with Tennis Australia - can participate in 'quick-match event' events at their community centers
The victors of the community events will then go into a random pairing, with an everyday competitor from every geographic division picked to take part in the 'championship round' in a evening match on mid-January
There will also be a preliminary competition in December which non-professionals, lower ranked pros, well-known figures and athletic celebrities can compete in
It commences on early January and the pair of champions will qualify for the midweek 'final showdown' with the remaining non-professionals and top-ranked athletes
"Regardless of your skill level, the ultimate winner will claim the reward. Entries will begin shortly at facilities nationwide"
Competition planners mentioned there were "further celebrities to be unveiled imminently", while the tournament site said "well-known figures" would be involved
