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Everyday tennis enthusiasts will have the possibility to claim one million Australian dollars when they face tennis' top professionals - featuring world number one the Spanish champion - in a one-point battle before the Australian Grand Slam

Tournament officials of the Melbourne major have unveiled the Seven-Figure Quick-Fire Competition, which will match 10 amateur players against top-ranked players in a single-elimination format at the Australian Open venue

The Unique Event Will Work

Participants must play 'the decision-making game' to decide who takes the serve or return position, and the player who wins the point will move forward to the subsequent phase

The victor of the event will earn £490,000

By comparison, players who advanced to the final four of the men's or women's singles in the last edition won A$1.1m

Previous Related Competitions

The New York major organized a restructured, standalone mixed doubles tournament in August which motivated top singles players to participate, with the champions receiving a million-dollar prize

The year's first major held its inaugural single-point competition this year, but the prize fund was sixty thousand Australian dollars and it generated little publicity

Andrey Rublev was the only top-10 player competing, and his run came to an end when he sent the one and only serve allowed into the mesh in his last eight match

Tournament Specifics

Organizers have not said exactly how the event will work, but it is projected to emulate a comparable structure to the most recent iteration

The professionals will be permitted to have a single serve and the amateurs two times - as is the usual procedure in standard play

While it is uncertain how the bracket will work, there will be five knockout rounds and the location will be the primary court rather than the secondary venue

The final stages will take place in a night session instead of early afternoon

Participation Details

Local players - or overseas competitors who have registered with Tennis Australia - can participate in 'quick-match event' competitions at their community centers

The winners of the local competitions will then go into a selection process, with a single non-professional from every region and area chosen to take part in the 'grand finale' in a night session on the specified date

There will also be a qualifying draw in December which amateurs, developing professionals, well-known figures and sports personalities can compete in

It starts on early January and the pair of champions will go into Wednesday's 'grand finale' with the other eight amateurs and 10 professionals

"No matter your experience, the overall victor will walk away with the award. Applications will start imminently at venues nationwide"

Competition planners said there were "additional stars to be revealed shortly", while the event portal said "celebrities" would be participating