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Amateur players are being offered the possibility to claim A$1m when they take on world-class athletes - headed by top-ranked the Spanish champion - in a single-point showdown leading up to January's Australian Open

Event planners of the year's first Grand Slam have revealed the $1 Million Single-Point Tournament, which will pair everyday competitors against elite athletes in a knockout tournament at the tournament grounds

How the Tournament Functions

Players will play 'rock, paper, scissors' to decide who serves or receives, and whoever wins the point will move forward to the following stage

The victor of the event will receive a significant cash prize

Contextually, players who made it to the semi-finals of the primary tournaments in the last edition won substantial prize money

Past Comparable Tournaments

The American Grand Slam hosted a revamped, independent combined gender tournament in late summer which prompted top singles players to participate, with the winners receiving a million-dollar prize

The Melbourne tournament held its debut single-point competition in the current season, but the total purse was A$60,000 and it received minimal attention

The Russian player was the single high-ranked athlete competing, and his campaign concluded when he directed the sole serving chance permitted failing to clear the net in his penultimate round

Competition Information

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

The elite players will be allowed to make one service and the non-professionals on two occasions - as is the standard practice in standard play

While it is uncertain how the pairings will work, there will be multiple elimination stages and the venue will be the primary court rather than the alternative court

The concluding rounds will occur in a evening slot instead of early afternoon

Entry Requirements

Any Australians - or foreign participants who have signed up with the governing body - can compete in 'quick-match event' competitions at their community centers

The victors of the community events will then go into a draw, with one amateur player from every region and area picked to participate in the 'grand finale' in a night session on Wednesday, 14 January

There will also be a qualifying draw in the final month which amateurs, aspiring competitors, celebrities and sport stars can compete in

It begins on the starting date and the two winners will go into the following day's 'grand finale' with the additional everyday players and 10 professionals

"Whether you're an amateur or a pro, the final champion will walk away with the reward. Registrations will begin shortly at clubs nationwide"

Tournament officials mentioned there were "additional stars to be announced soon", while the official website mentioned "famous personalities" would be participating