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Recreational competitors will have the chance to win a seven-figure prize when they take on world-class athletes - including world number one the Spanish champion - in a winner-takes-all point prior to the year's first major

Event planners of the Melbourne major have revealed the Million Dollar One Point Slam, which will pit a dozen non-professionals against top-ranked players in a knockout tournament at the tournament grounds

How the Event Will Work

Participants must play 'the classic hand game' to decide who takes the serve or return position, and whoever wins the point will advance to the next round

The winner of the event will earn approximately half a million pounds

For comparison, players who reached the final four of the main draw competitions in the 2025 Australian Open won A$1.1m

Past Related Competitions

The American Grand Slam staged a redesigned, independent combined gender tournament in the eighth month which prompted top singles players to take part, with the victors receiving one million US dollars

The Australian Open held its inaugural quick-fire event earlier this year, but the cash prize was sixty thousand Australian dollars and it generated little publicity

Andrey Rublev was the single high-ranked athlete competing, and his run concluded when he put the sole serving chance permitted into the net in his quarter-final

Event Specifics

Organizers have not detailed exactly how the event will work, but it is expected to mirror a akin setup to the most recent iteration

The top competitors will be permitted to make one service and the non-professionals on two occasions - as is the standard practice in traditional tennis

While it is unclear how the bracket will work, there will be five knockout rounds and the venue will be the main stadium rather than the alternative court

The concluding rounds will take place in a night session instead of 1pm local time

Participation Information

Domestic competitors - or overseas competitors who have registered with Tennis Australia - can enter 'quick-match event' tournaments at their community centers

The victors of the grassroots tournaments will then go into a random pairing, with an everyday competitor from every geographic division picked to take part in the 'final competition' in a nighttime event on Wednesday, 14 January

There will also be a preliminary competition in the final month which everyday players, lower ranked pros, famous personalities and sport stars can compete in

It commences on Monday, 12 January and the two winners will qualify for the following day's 'final showdown' with the additional everyday players and top-ranked athletes

"Whether you're an amateur or a pro, the overall victor will walk away with the reward. Applications will open soon at venues across the country"

Competition planners mentioned there were "further celebrities to be announced soon", while the tournament site mentioned "famous personalities" would be involved