Alcaraz Set to Compete Against Everyday Players in Seven-Figure One Point Slam
Recreational competitors will have an opportunity to earn A$1m when they compete against elite players - featuring top-ranked the Spanish champion - in a winner-takes-all point leading up to January's Australian Open
Organizers of the Australian Open have announced the Million Dollar One Point Slam, which will pair a dozen non-professionals against elite athletes in a knockout tournament at the tournament grounds
How the Event Will Work
Competitors are set to play 'the classic hand game' to determine who takes the serve or return position, and whoever wins the point will progress to the subsequent phase
The victor of the event will earn approximately half a million pounds
Contextually, players who advanced to the penultimate round of the main draw competitions in the last edition won over a million Australian dollars
Past Related Competitions
The US Open hosted a redesigned, independent combined gender tournament in late summer which motivated top singles players to take part, with the champions receiving $1m
The Melbourne tournament held its first-ever quick-fire event in the current season, but the total purse was A$60,000 and it received minimal attention
Andrey Rublev was the single high-ranked athlete competing, and his campaign came to an end when he put the sole serving chance granted into the net in his penultimate round
Tournament Details
Planners have not said exactly how the event will work, but it is projected to follow a comparable structure to the previous version
The professionals will be permitted to serve once and the non-professionals two times - as is the norm in standard play
While it is uncertain how the pairings will work, there will be several competitive phases and the site will be the main stadium rather than the secondary venue
The concluding rounds will take place in a evening slot instead of midday timing
Entry Details
Any Australians - or overseas competitors who have registered with the national federation - can participate in 'single-point competition' tournaments at their local tennis clubs
The victors of the community events will then go into a random pairing, with one amateur player from every region and area chosen to participate in the 'grand finale' in a night session on the specified date
There will also be a entry tournament in December which non-professionals, developing professionals, celebrities and sports personalities can participate in
It starts on the starting date and the pair of champions will go into the midweek 'championship match' with the remaining non-professionals and top-ranked athletes
"No matter your experience, the overall victor will claim the reward. Entries will start imminently at venues across the country"
Event organizers mentioned there were "further celebrities to be announced soon", while the event portal said "celebrities" would be involved
