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Recreational competitors are being offered an opportunity to claim A$1m when they take on elite players - including leading player Carlos Alcaraz - in a single-point showdown leading up to the year's first major

Event planners of the Australian Open have revealed the $1 Million Single-Point Tournament, which will match a dozen non-professionals against elite athletes in a single-elimination format at the tournament grounds

How the Tournament Functions

Players will play 'the decision-making game' to decide who serves or receives, and the player who wins the point will move forward to the following stage

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

For comparison, players who advanced to the semi-finals of the main draw competitions in the 2025 Australian Open won substantial prize money

Earlier Related Competitions

The US Open hosted a restructured, independent mixed doubles tournament in late summer which motivated top singles players to take part, with the champions receiving $1m

The Australian Open held its inaugural One Point Slam in the current season, but the prize fund was sixty thousand Australian dollars and it received minimal attention

The Russian player was the single high-ranked athlete participating, and his progress finished when he put the single service opportunity permitted into the mesh in his last eight match

Tournament Specifics

Organizers have not specified precisely how the event will operate, but it is anticipated to emulate a comparable structure to the most recent iteration

The professionals will be allowed to serve once and the everyday players on two occasions - as is the standard practice in standard play

While it is unclear how the bracket will work, there will be multiple elimination stages and the location will be the primary court rather than the smaller Kia Arena

The concluding rounds will be held in a nighttime schedule instead of early afternoon

Participation Details

Any Australians - or international players who have signed up with Tennis Australia - can participate in 'single-point competition' competitions at their neighborhood facilities

The champions of the local competitions will then go into a selection process, with an everyday competitor from every geographic division chosen to compete in the 'grand finale' in a night session on the specified date

There will also be a qualifying draw in December which non-professionals, aspiring competitors, celebrities and sport stars can participate in

It begins on Monday, 12 January and the successful competitors will go into the midweek 'championship match' with the additional everyday players and elite competitors

"Regardless of your skill level, the final champion will receive the reward. Applications will open soon at facilities across the country"

Tournament officials mentioned there were "additional stars to be unveiled imminently", while the event portal mentioned "well-known figures" would be participating