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Recreational competitors are being offered an opportunity to earn one million Australian dollars when they take on elite players - headed by leading player Carlos Alcaraz - in a single-point showdown prior to the year's first major

Tournament officials of the Melbourne major have announced the $1 Million Single-Point Tournament, which will pit everyday competitors against top-ranked players in a elimination competition at the Australian Open venue

How the Tournament Functions

Participants must play 'rock, paper, scissors' to determine who gets to serve or return, and whoever wins the point will move forward to the next round

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

By comparison, players who reached the penultimate round of the primary tournaments in the 2025 Australian Open won substantial prize money

Past Comparable Tournaments

The American Grand Slam hosted a revamped, standalone 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 single-point competition this year, but the total purse was a smaller amount and it had limited exposure

One top competitor was the single high-ranked athlete competing, and his campaign finished when he sent the single service opportunity permitted into the net in his quarter-final

Event Specifics

Officials have not specified precisely how the event will work, but it is expected to emulate a similar format to the most recent iteration

The professionals will be granted to serve once and the non-professionals on two occasions - as is the norm in standard play

While it is not certain how the pairings will work, there will be multiple elimination stages and the venue will be the main stadium rather than the secondary venue

The final stages will be held in a night session instead of early afternoon

Participation Information

Domestic competitors - or international players who have signed up with the national federation - can participate in 'single-point competition' tournaments at their neighborhood facilities

The winners of the community events will then go into a selection process, with an everyday competitor from every region and area selected to compete in the 'final competition' in a evening match on mid-January

There will also be a qualifying draw in late year which amateurs, developing professionals, famous personalities and athletic celebrities can enter

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

"Regardless of your skill level, the overall victor will receive the award. Registrations will start imminently at clubs throughout the nation"

Tournament officials said there were "more big names to be revealed shortly", while the official website said "celebrities" would be involved