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Recreational competitors will have the chance to earn A$1m when they take on elite players - headed by leading player the Spanish champion - in a single-point showdown before the Australian Grand Slam

Organizers of the Australian Open have announced the Million Dollar One Point Slam, which will pair a dozen non-professionals against 22 professionals in a knockout tournament at Melbourne Park

The Unique Competition Operates

Players will play 'the decision-making game' to establish who serves or receives, and the competitor securing the point will advance to the next round

The victor of the event will receive approximately half a million pounds

By comparison, players who advanced to the final four of the primary tournaments in the previous year's tournament won A$1.1m

Past Related Competitions

The American Grand Slam staged a redesigned, standalone combined gender tournament in late summer which motivated top singles players to compete, with the victors receiving one million US dollars

The year's first major held its first-ever One Point Slam this year, but the total purse was a smaller amount and it generated little publicity

One top competitor was the sole elite competitor participating, and his run concluded when he put the one and only serve granted into the net in his penultimate round

Event Specifics

Organizers have not detailed exactly how the event will work, but it is projected to follow a similar format to this year's edition

The top competitors will be permitted to have a single serve and the non-professionals two times - as is the usual procedure in standard play

While it is uncertain how the bracket will work, there will be five knockout rounds and the location will be the main stadium rather than the secondary venue

The last matches will be held in a night session instead of early afternoon

Entry Details

Local players - or international players who have signed up with the national federation - can enter 'One Point Slam' tournaments at their community centers

The winners of the grassroots tournaments will then go into a selection process, with a single non-professional from every region and area picked to compete in the 'grand finale' in a evening match on Wednesday, 14 January

There will also be a preliminary competition in December which everyday players, lower ranked pros, celebrities and sport stars can enter

It starts on early January and the two winners will go into the midweek 'grand finale' with the other eight amateurs and 10 professionals

"Regardless of your skill level, the overall victor will claim the prize. Applications will start imminently at venues throughout the nation"

Event organizers mentioned there were "further celebrities to be unveiled imminently", while the tournament site indicated "celebrities" would be involved