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Amateur players will have an opportunity to earn one million Australian dollars when they compete against world-class athletes - headed by top-ranked the Spanish champion - in a one-point battle prior to January's Australian Open

Organizers of the Australian Open have unveiled the $1 Million Single-Point Tournament, which will pair a dozen non-professionals against 22 professionals in a single-elimination format at Melbourne Park

This Innovative Event Will Work

Participants must play 'rock, paper, scissors' to establish who serves or receives, and the player who wins the point will progress to the next round

The champion of the event will earn a significant cash prize

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

Past Comparable Tournaments

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

The year's first major held its inaugural single-point competition in the current season, but the prize fund was a smaller amount and it received minimal attention

Andrey Rublev was the sole elite competitor participating, and his progress came to an end when he sent the sole serving chance allowed into the mesh in his quarter-final

Tournament Details

Organizers have not detailed exactly how the event will function, but it is expected to emulate a similar format to this year's edition

The elite players will be permitted to make one service and the everyday players on two occasions - as is the standard practice in standard play

While it is uncertain how the pairings will work, there will be five knockout rounds and the venue will be the main stadium rather than the smaller Kia Arena

The concluding rounds will be held in a evening slot instead of midday timing

Competitor Details

Any Australians - or international players who have registered with the governing body - can enter 'quick-match event' competitions at their local tennis clubs

The champions of the local competitions will then go into a random pairing, with a single non-professional from every region and area chosen to participate in the 'championship round' in a nighttime event on the specified date

There will also be a preliminary competition in late year which everyday players, developing professionals, well-known figures and athletic celebrities can compete in

It begins on the starting date and the two winners will qualify for the following day's 'grand finale' with the other eight amateurs and 10 professionals

"Whether you're an amateur or a pro, the overall victor will walk away with the prize. Entries will start imminently at venues throughout the nation"

Event organizers stated there were "more big names to be revealed shortly", while the tournament site indicated "famous personalities" would be taking part