Alcaraz Set to Compete Against Amateurs in $1 Million Winner-Takes-All Event

Amateur players will have the chance to earn A$1m when they compete against tennis' top professionals - featuring leading player the Spanish champion - in a one-point battle prior to the Australian Grand Slam

Tournament officials of the Australian Open have unveiled the Seven-Figure Quick-Fire Competition, which will pair 10 amateur players against elite athletes in a elimination competition at Melbourne Park

The Unique Event Will Work

Participants must play 'rock, paper, scissors' to determine who gets to serve or return, and the competitor securing the point will progress to the next round

The winner of the event will take home approximately half a million pounds

Contextually, players who reached the semi-finals of the main draw competitions in the last edition won over a million Australian dollars

Earlier Similar Events

The US Open staged a revamped, separate combined gender tournament in the eighth month which prompted top singles players to participate, with the winners receiving $1m

The Australian Open held its inaugural single-point competition earlier this year, but the cash prize was a smaller amount and it generated little publicity

Andrey Rublev was the only top-10 player involved, and his progress came to an end when he directed the one and only serve permitted into the mesh in his last eight match

Event Specifics

Officials have not detailed exactly how the event will work, but it is expected to emulate a akin setup to the previous version

The top competitors will be allowed to have a single serve and the non-professionals on two occasions - as is the norm in standard play

While it is uncertain how the pairings will work, there will be multiple elimination stages and the site will be the primary court rather than the smaller Kia Arena

The concluding rounds will occur in a nighttime schedule instead of midday timing

Participation Requirements

Local players - or foreign participants who have registered with Tennis Australia - can compete in 'single-point competition' events at their community centers

The winners of the local competitions will then go into a random pairing, with a single non-professional from every geographic division picked to take part in the 'final competition' in a evening match on the specified date

There will also be a qualifying draw in December which non-professionals, aspiring competitors, famous personalities and sports personalities can enter

It begins on the starting date and the successful competitors will advance to the following day's 'final showdown' with the remaining non-professionals and 10 professionals

"Regardless of your skill level, the final champion will walk away with the prize. Entries will begin shortly at clubs throughout the nation"

Event organizers said there were "more big names to be revealed shortly", while the event portal mentioned "well-known figures" would be participating