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Everyday tennis enthusiasts are being offered an opportunity to claim A$1m when they compete against elite players - headed by leading player the Spanish champion - in a winner-takes-all point prior to January's Australian Open

Organizers of the year's first Grand Slam have revealed the $1 Million Single-Point Tournament, which will match everyday competitors against elite athletes in a single-elimination format at Melbourne Park

The Unique Competition Operates

Players will play 'the decision-making game' to determine who gets to serve or return, and the competitor securing the point will move forward to the following stage

The champion of the event will earn £490,000

For comparison, players who reached the penultimate round of the primary tournaments in the 2025 Australian Open won over a million Australian dollars

Previous Related Competitions

The New York major hosted a restructured, separate combined gender tournament in the eighth month which prompted top singles players to compete, with the victors receiving a million-dollar prize

The Australian Open held its debut quick-fire event earlier this year, but the cash prize was A$60,000 and it received minimal attention

One top competitor was the sole elite competitor competing, and his campaign came to an end when he directed the sole serving chance allowed into the mesh in his quarter-final

Event Specifics

Planners have not detailed exactly how the event will function, but it is projected to emulate a akin setup to this year's edition

The top competitors will be granted to serve once and the everyday players twice - as is the norm in conventional tennis

While it is uncertain how the bracket will work, there will be several competitive phases and the venue will be the Rod Laver Arena rather than the smaller Kia Arena

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

Participation Requirements

Domestic competitors - or overseas competitors who have enrolled with Tennis Australia - can participate in 'single-point competition' events at their neighborhood facilities

The winners of the community events will then go into a selection process, with an everyday competitor from every geographic division picked to take part in the 'final competition' in a nighttime event on mid-January

There will also be a preliminary competition in late year which non-professionals, aspiring competitors, famous personalities and sports personalities can compete in

It starts on Monday, 12 January and the pair of champions will advance to the following day's 'grand finale' with the additional everyday players and elite competitors

"Regardless of your skill level, the overall victor will claim the award. Applications will begin shortly at clubs throughout the nation"

Tournament officials said there were "more big names to be revealed shortly", while the tournament site mentioned "famous personalities" would be involved