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Recreational competitors are getting the possibility to earn A$1m when they face tennis' top professionals - featuring leading player Carlos Alcaraz - in a winner-takes-all point before the Australian Grand Slam

Event planners of the Melbourne major have unveiled the $1 Million Single-Point Tournament, which will pair 10 amateur players against 22 professionals in a knockout tournament at the Australian Open venue

This Innovative Competition Operates

Competitors are set to play 'the decision-making game' to decide who gets to serve or return, and the player who wins the point will progress to the next round

The champion of the event will receive £490,000

By comparison, players who advanced to the final four of the men's or women's singles in the 2025 Australian Open won over a million Australian dollars

Previous Comparable Tournaments

The American Grand Slam staged a revamped, standalone combined gender tournament in late summer which encouraged top singles players to participate, with the champions receiving one million US dollars

The Australian Open held its first-ever One Point Slam this year, but the cash prize was a smaller amount and it had limited exposure

One top competitor was the only top-10 player competing, and his progress finished when he put the sole serving chance permitted into the mesh in his penultimate round

Competition Information

Planners have not detailed exactly how the event will work, but it is expected to emulate a akin setup to the previous version

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

While it is not certain how the pairings will work, there will be multiple elimination stages and the venue will be the Rod Laver Arena rather than the alternative court

The last matches will take place in a night session instead of early afternoon

Entry Details

Local players - or international players who have registered with Tennis Australia - can participate in 'single-point competition' competitions at their neighborhood facilities

The winners of the community events will then go into a draw, with an everyday competitor from every geographic division selected to compete in the 'grand finale' in a nighttime event on mid-January

There will also be a qualifying draw in the final month which amateurs, developing professionals, celebrities and sport stars can participate in

It starts on early January and the two winners will advance to the following day's 'grand finale' with the additional everyday players and elite competitors

"No matter your experience, the overall victor will claim the prize. Applications will begin shortly at clubs throughout the nation"

Tournament officials mentioned there were "more big names to be unveiled imminently", while the tournament site mentioned "famous personalities" would be taking part