Carlos Alcaraz Set to Compete Against Non-Professionals in Seven-Figure Single-Point Showdown
Everyday tennis enthusiasts are being offered an opportunity to earn A$1m when they take on elite players - headed by top-ranked the Spanish champion - in a winner-takes-all point leading up to the year's first major
Organizers of the year's first Grand Slam have revealed the Seven-Figure Quick-Fire Competition, which will pit a dozen non-professionals against 22 professionals in a single-elimination format at the Australian Open venue
This Innovative Tournament Functions
Competitors are set to play 'the classic hand game' to determine who takes the serve or return position, and the player who wins the point will advance to the subsequent phase
The victor of the event will receive approximately half a million pounds
For comparison, players who made it to the final four of the men's or women's singles in the previous year's tournament won A$1.1m
Previous Comparable Tournaments
The New York major organized a redesigned, separate mixed doubles tournament in August which encouraged top singles players to compete, with the winners receiving one million US dollars
The Australian Open held its debut One Point Slam earlier this year, but the cash prize was a smaller amount and it had limited exposure
Andrey Rublev was the single high-ranked athlete competing, and his run finished when he directed the sole serving chance granted into the net in his last eight match
Tournament Information
Officials have not said exactly how the event will work, but it is expected to mirror a comparable structure to the most recent iteration
The elite players will be granted to make one service and the non-professionals two times - as is the usual procedure in conventional tennis
While it is unclear how the bracket will work, there will be multiple elimination stages and the site will be the main stadium rather than the smaller Kia Arena
The concluding rounds will take place in a nighttime schedule instead of 1pm local time
Participation Information
Any Australians - or foreign participants who have signed up with Tennis Australia - can enter 'single-point competition' tournaments at their neighborhood facilities
The winners of the grassroots tournaments will then go into a selection process, with a single non-professional from every geographic division selected to take part in the 'grand finale' in a night session on the specified date
There will also be a preliminary competition in December which amateurs, aspiring competitors, celebrities and sports personalities can participate in
It commences on early January and the two winners will qualify for the following day's 'championship match' with the other eight amateurs and top-ranked athletes
"No matter your experience, the ultimate winner will claim the award. Entries will start imminently at facilities across the country"
Competition planners said there were "further celebrities to be announced soon", while the official website mentioned "celebrities" would be involved