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Amateur players are getting the chance to earn A$1m when they take on world-class athletes - headed by leading player the Spanish champion - in a one-point battle prior to January's Australian Open

Event planners of the Melbourne major have announced the Million Dollar One Point Slam, which will pair a dozen non-professionals against 22 professionals in a single-elimination format at the tournament grounds

The Unique Competition Operates

Players will play 'the decision-making game' to decide who takes the serve or return position, and the competitor securing the point will move forward to the subsequent phase

The winner of the event will earn £490,000

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

Previous Similar Events

The US Open hosted a redesigned, independent combined gender tournament in late summer which motivated top singles players to take part, with the victors receiving a million-dollar prize

The year's first major held its debut quick-fire event this year, but the cash prize was sixty thousand Australian dollars and it had limited exposure

Andrey Rublev was the single high-ranked athlete involved, and his campaign concluded when he sent the one and only serve permitted into the net in his penultimate round

Tournament Specifics

Planners have not detailed exactly how the event will work, but it is expected to mirror a akin setup to this year's edition

The elite players will be allowed to have a single serve and the non-professionals two times - as is the norm in conventional tennis

While it is uncertain how the draw will work, there will be multiple elimination stages and the venue will be the main stadium rather than the smaller Kia Arena

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

Entry Details

Local players - or international players who have signed up with Tennis Australia - can enter 'single-point competition' events at their neighborhood facilities

The champions 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 the specified date

There will also be a preliminary competition in the final month which everyday players, lower ranked pros, celebrities and athletic celebrities can participate in

It begins on Monday, 12 January and the two winners will qualify for Wednesday's 'grand finale' with the remaining non-professionals and top-ranked athletes

"Regardless of your skill level, the overall victor will walk away with the reward. Applications will start imminently at facilities across the country"

Competition planners stated there were "further celebrities to be revealed shortly", while the tournament site mentioned "celebrities" would be taking part