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Everyday tennis enthusiasts are getting an opportunity to earn A$1m when they face world-class athletes - headed by world number one Carlos Alcaraz - in a one-point battle before January's Australian Open

Organizers of the Australian Open have announced the Seven-Figure Quick-Fire Competition, which will match a dozen non-professionals against top-ranked players in a single-elimination format at Melbourne Park

The Unique Tournament Functions

Participants must play 'rock, paper, scissors' to establish who serves or receives, and the competitor securing the point will move forward to the subsequent phase

The winner of the event will earn a significant cash prize

By comparison, players who reached the semi-finals of the men's or women's singles in the previous year's tournament won A$1.1m

Previous Related Competitions

The US Open staged a restructured, separate mixed doubles tournament in August which motivated top singles players to take part, with the winners receiving a million-dollar prize

The year's first major held its first-ever One Point Slam earlier this year, but the total purse was A$60,000 and it received minimal attention

Andrey Rublev was the single high-ranked athlete involved, and his campaign concluded when he put the single service opportunity granted into the mesh in his quarter-final

Event Specifics

Planners have not specified precisely how the event will function, but it is anticipated to follow a akin setup to the most recent iteration

The elite players will be allowed to make one service and the amateurs on two occasions - as is the standard practice in conventional tennis

While it is not certain how the bracket will work, there will be five knockout rounds and the venue will be the primary court rather than the alternative court

The last matches will take place in a night session instead of 1pm local time

Participation Information

Any Australians - or overseas competitors who have registered with Tennis Australia - can enter 'single-point competition' competitions at their neighborhood facilities

The winners of the grassroots tournaments will then go into a draw, with an everyday competitor from every state and territory selected to participate in the 'final competition' in a nighttime event on Wednesday, 14 January

There will also be a preliminary competition in December which amateurs, aspiring competitors, celebrities and sports personalities can compete in

It starts on the starting date and the successful competitors will go into Wednesday's 'final showdown' with the other eight amateurs and elite competitors

"No matter your experience, the ultimate winner will walk away with the award. Applications will start imminently at facilities throughout the nation"

Tournament officials stated there were "more big names to be announced soon", while the tournament site indicated "well-known figures" would be participating