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Amateur players are being offered the possibility to claim a seven-figure prize when they face tennis' top professionals - headed by world number one the Spanish champion - in a winner-takes-all point before January's Australian Open

Event planners of the Melbourne major have announced the $1 Million Single-Point Tournament, which will pair 10 amateur players against elite athletes in a knockout tournament at Melbourne Park

How the Event Will Work

Competitors are set to play 'the decision-making game' to establish who serves or receives, and the player who wins the point will move forward to the next round

The champion of the event will receive approximately half a million pounds

For comparison, players who made it to the penultimate round of the men's or women's singles in the 2025 Australian Open won substantial prize money

Previous Related Competitions

The American Grand Slam staged a restructured, separate combined gender tournament in August which encouraged top singles players to take part, with the victors receiving one million US dollars

The Australian Open held its first-ever single-point competition earlier this year, but the prize fund was a smaller amount and it generated little publicity

One top competitor was the single high-ranked athlete participating, and his campaign came to an end when he directed the sole serving chance permitted failing to clear the net in his penultimate round

Event Details

Planners have not specified precisely how the event will function, but it is anticipated to follow a comparable structure to the most recent iteration

The elite players will be permitted to serve once and the amateurs on two occasions - as is the norm in standard play

While it is not certain how the draw will work, there will be five knockout rounds and the location will be the main stadium rather than the secondary venue

The final stages will take place in a evening slot instead of midday timing

Participation Requirements

Any Australians - or international players who have registered with the national federation - can participate in 'single-point competition' events at their community centers

The winners of the local competitions will then go into a draw, with one amateur player from every region and area selected to participate in the 'championship round' in a night session on the specified date

There will also be a qualifying draw in December which amateurs, lower ranked pros, celebrities and sport stars can enter

It commences on early January and the pair of champions will advance to Wednesday's 'final showdown' with the other eight amateurs and top-ranked athletes

"Whether you're an amateur or a pro, the overall victor will receive the award. Entries will open soon at facilities nationwide"

Tournament officials stated there were "additional stars to be revealed shortly", while the event portal said "famous personalities" would be participating