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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 single-point showdown before the Australian Grand Slam

Event planners of the Australian Open have unveiled the $1 Million Single-Point Tournament, which will match everyday competitors against 22 professionals in a knockout tournament at the Australian Open venue

This Innovative Event Will Work

Participants must play 'rock, paper, scissors' to decide who serves or receives, and the player who wins the point will move forward to the following stage

The winner of the event will receive £490,000

For comparison, players who made it to the semi-finals of the primary tournaments in the last edition won over a million Australian dollars

Previous Similar Events

The American Grand Slam hosted a restructured, separate mixed doubles tournament in August which encouraged top singles players to participate, with the victors receiving one million US dollars

The Melbourne tournament held its first-ever single-point competition this year, but the total purse was a smaller amount and it generated little publicity

The Russian player was the single high-ranked athlete participating, and his progress concluded when he put the sole serving chance granted into the net in his last eight match

Competition Specifics

Organizers have not detailed exactly how the event will operate, but it is anticipated to mirror a similar format to the previous version

The professionals will be granted to serve once and the everyday players on two occasions - as is the usual procedure in conventional tennis

While it is uncertain how the pairings will work, there will be multiple elimination stages and the site will be the main stadium rather than the secondary venue

The final stages will take place in a nighttime schedule instead of early afternoon

Competitor Requirements

Domestic competitors - or overseas competitors who have signed up with Tennis Australia - can participate in 'quick-match event' events at their community centers

The victors of the community events will then go into a selection process, with one amateur player from every region and area selected to take part in the 'final competition' in a nighttime event on mid-January

There will also be a qualifying draw in December which everyday players, developing professionals, celebrities and sport stars can enter

It starts on early January and the pair of champions will go into Wednesday's 'championship match' with the other eight amateurs and top-ranked athletes

"No matter your experience, the ultimate winner will walk away with the prize. Registrations will begin shortly at facilities nationwide"

Event organizers said there were "more big names to be announced soon", while the official website said "famous personalities" would be taking part