🔗 Share this article

Everyday tennis enthusiasts are being offered the chance to claim a seven-figure prize when they take on world-class athletes - featuring world number one Carlos Alcaraz - in a winner-takes-all point prior to the Australian Grand Slam

Tournament officials of the year's first Grand Slam have announced the Million Dollar One Point Slam, which will pair a dozen non-professionals against top-ranked players in a knockout tournament at Melbourne Park

How the Tournament Functions

Players will play 'the decision-making game' to determine who serves or receives, and the player who wins the point will move forward to the next round

The victor of the event will receive £490,000

Contextually, players who reached the semi-finals of the main draw competitions in the 2025 Australian Open won over a million Australian dollars

Past Related Competitions

The US Open organized a redesigned, standalone combined gender tournament in late summer which encouraged top singles players to take part, with the winners receiving $1m

The Melbourne tournament held its first-ever One Point Slam in the current season, but the prize fund was a smaller amount and it generated little publicity

One top competitor was the only top-10 player involved, and his progress concluded when he put the one and only serve allowed into the mesh in his last eight match

Tournament Information

Planners have not said exactly how the event will work, but it is expected to mirror a similar format to the previous version

The top competitors will be permitted to serve once and the non-professionals twice - as is the usual procedure in traditional tennis

While it is not certain how the draw will work, there will be five knockout rounds and the venue will be the Rod Laver Arena rather than the secondary venue

The concluding rounds will take place in a evening slot instead of 1pm local time

Participation Information

Domestic competitors - or foreign participants who have enrolled with the governing body - can compete in 'One Point Slam' competitions at their community centers

The winners of the grassroots tournaments will then go into a random pairing, with a single non-professional from every region and area chosen to compete in the 'championship round' in a night session on mid-January

There will also be a qualifying draw in December which amateurs, aspiring competitors, well-known figures and sport stars can enter

It commences on the starting date and the successful competitors will qualify for the midweek 'grand finale' with the remaining non-professionals and 10 professionals

"No matter your experience, the ultimate winner will walk away with the award. Applications will start imminently at venues throughout the nation"

Event organizers said there were "further celebrities to be unveiled imminently", while the event portal said "celebrities" would be involved