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Everyday tennis enthusiasts will have an opportunity to earn A$1m when they take on tennis' top professionals - featuring leading player the Spanish champion - in a single-point showdown leading up to the Australian Grand Slam

Tournament officials of the Melbourne major have unveiled the $1 Million Single-Point Tournament, which will match 10 amateur players against elite athletes in a elimination competition at the Australian Open venue

The Unique Tournament Functions

Competitors are set to play 'rock, paper, scissors' to determine who serves or receives, and whoever wins the point will advance to the subsequent phase

The winner of the event will earn a significant cash prize

By comparison, players who made it to the semi-finals of the main draw competitions in the previous year's tournament won A$1.1m

Past Similar Events

The US Open staged a redesigned, separate mixed doubles tournament in August which prompted top singles players to take part, with the victors receiving a million-dollar prize

The year's first major held its inaugural One Point Slam earlier this year, but the cash prize was A$60,000 and it received minimal attention

One top competitor was the only top-10 player involved, and his run came to an end when he directed the sole serving chance allowed into the net in his quarter-final

Competition Details

Officials have not said exactly how the event will work, but it is anticipated to follow a akin setup to the previous version

The professionals will be granted to serve once and the amateurs on two occasions - as is the norm in conventional tennis

While it is not certain how the bracket will work, there will be five knockout rounds and the location will be the main stadium rather than the alternative court

The last matches will occur in a evening slot instead of early afternoon

Participation Information

Local players - or international players who have enrolled with Tennis Australia - can compete in 'single-point competition' events at their local tennis clubs

The winners of the community events will then go into a random pairing, with a single non-professional from every region and area picked to compete in the 'final competition' in a night session on mid-January

There will also be a preliminary competition in late year which amateurs, lower ranked pros, celebrities and sport stars can participate in

It commences on Monday, 12 January and the successful competitors will go into Wednesday's 'final showdown' with the remaining non-professionals and elite competitors

"No matter your experience, the final champion will claim the prize. Entries will open soon at clubs nationwide"

Competition planners said there were "further celebrities to be unveiled imminently", while the event portal indicated "well-known figures" would be involved