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Everyday tennis enthusiasts are getting the chance to earn a seven-figure prize when they take on world-class athletes - including world number one the Spanish champion - in a single-point showdown leading up to January's Australian Open

Tournament officials of the year's first Grand Slam have revealed the Seven-Figure Quick-Fire Competition, which will match a dozen non-professionals against 22 professionals in a elimination competition at Melbourne Park

How the Competition Operates

Competitors are set to play 'the decision-making game' to decide who serves or receives, and the player who wins the point will advance to the following stage

The victor of the event will earn a significant cash prize

By comparison, players who reached the final four of the men's or women's singles in the last edition won substantial prize money

Earlier Comparable Tournaments

The New York major hosted a redesigned, separate combined gender tournament in the eighth month which prompted top singles players to compete, with the victors receiving $1m

The Melbourne tournament held its first-ever One Point Slam earlier this year, but the cash prize was A$60,000 and it received minimal attention

The Russian player was the only top-10 player participating, and his campaign finished when he directed the one and only serve granted failing to clear the net in his last eight match

Tournament Information

Planners have not specified precisely how the event will work, but it is expected to follow a comparable structure to this year's edition

The top competitors will be allowed to have a single serve and the non-professionals on two occasions - as is the norm in traditional tennis

While it is not certain how the bracket will work, there will be five knockout rounds and the location will be the primary court rather than the smaller Kia Arena

The concluding rounds will be held in a nighttime schedule instead of 1pm local time

Participation Details

Domestic competitors - or overseas competitors who have enrolled with Tennis Australia - can participate in 'One Point Slam' events at their local tennis clubs

The victors of the grassroots tournaments will then go into a random pairing, with an everyday competitor from every region and area selected to participate in the 'final competition' in a evening match on Wednesday, 14 January

There will also be a preliminary competition in the final month which non-professionals, aspiring competitors, well-known figures and sport stars can enter

It starts on Monday, 12 January and the two winners will go into the following day's 'grand finale' with the remaining non-professionals and top-ranked athletes

"No matter your experience, the overall victor will claim the prize. Registrations will open soon at facilities throughout the nation"

Event organizers said there were "more big names to be announced soon", while the tournament site said "well-known figures" would be taking part