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Everyday tennis enthusiasts are being offered the chance to earn A$1m when they compete against tennis' top professionals - headed by leading player Carlos Alcaraz - in a single-point showdown leading up to the year's first major

Tournament officials of the year's first Grand Slam have announced the Million Dollar One Point Slam, which will pit 10 amateur players against elite athletes in a single-elimination format at the tournament grounds

How the Competition Operates

Participants must play 'rock, paper, scissors' to decide who takes the serve or return position, and whoever wins the point will advance to the subsequent phase

The victor of the event will take home approximately half a million pounds

By comparison, players who advanced to the semi-finals of the primary tournaments in the last edition won A$1.1m

Past Related Competitions

The American Grand Slam staged a redesigned, standalone combined gender tournament in August which prompted top singles players to participate, with the champions receiving $1m

The Australian Open held its inaugural quick-fire event this year, but the cash prize was a smaller amount and it had limited exposure

One top competitor was the only top-10 player participating, and his campaign came to an end when he directed the sole serving chance permitted into the mesh in his last eight match

Competition Specifics

Organizers have not detailed exactly how the event will work, but it is anticipated to mirror a similar format to the most recent iteration

The professionals will be permitted to have a single serve and the everyday players on two occasions - as is the usual procedure in standard play

While it is uncertain how the draw will work, there will be several competitive phases and the site will be the primary court rather than the secondary venue

The last matches will be held in a night session instead of 1pm local time

Competitor Requirements

Local players - or overseas competitors who have signed up with the national federation - can compete in 'single-point competition' tournaments at their community centers

The winners of the grassroots tournaments will then go into a selection process, with a single non-professional from every geographic division picked to participate in the 'championship round' in a nighttime event on the specified date

There will also be a preliminary competition in December which non-professionals, lower ranked pros, well-known figures and athletic celebrities can participate in

It commences on Monday, 12 January and the two winners will go into the following day's 'final showdown' with the remaining non-professionals and elite competitors

"No matter your experience, the final champion will receive the reward. Applications will start imminently at facilities nationwide"

Event organizers said there were "additional stars to be unveiled imminently", while the official website said "celebrities" would be taking part