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Recreational competitors are being offered the possibility to win a seven-figure prize when they take on world-class athletes - featuring top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz - in a one-point battle leading up to the Australian Grand Slam

Organizers of the year's first Grand Slam have revealed the Seven-Figure Quick-Fire Competition, which will pit 10 amateur players against elite athletes in a elimination competition at the tournament grounds

How the Tournament Functions

Participants must play 'the classic hand game' to establish who takes the serve or return position, and whoever wins the point will move forward to the following stage

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

Contextually, players who made it to the semi-finals of the primary tournaments in the previous year's tournament won A$1.1m

Previous Related Competitions

The New York major organized a redesigned, independent mixed doubles tournament in late summer which motivated top singles players to participate, with the winners receiving one million US dollars

The Melbourne tournament held its debut single-point competition in the current season, but the total purse was sixty thousand Australian dollars and it had limited exposure

Andrey Rublev was the only top-10 player involved, and his campaign concluded when he sent the sole serving chance allowed into the net in his penultimate round

Competition Specifics

Organizers have not said exactly how the event will function, but it is expected to follow a comparable structure to the most recent iteration

The top competitors will be permitted to have a single serve and the everyday players twice - as is the usual procedure in standard play

While it is unclear how the draw will work, there will be several competitive phases and the venue will be the Rod Laver Arena rather than the smaller Kia Arena

The concluding rounds will be held in a night session instead of early afternoon

Participation Requirements

Any Australians - or foreign participants who have registered with Tennis Australia - can enter 'quick-match event' competitions at their neighborhood facilities

The champions of the grassroots tournaments will then go into a random pairing, with an everyday competitor from every state and territory picked to compete in the 'grand finale' in a evening match on Wednesday, 14 January

There will also be a entry tournament in the final month which non-professionals, aspiring competitors, well-known figures and sport stars can participate in

It begins on the starting date and the two winners will qualify for the following day's 'final showdown' with the remaining non-professionals and 10 professionals

"Whether you're an amateur or a pro, the ultimate winner will receive the prize. Applications will start imminently at facilities nationwide"

Event organizers stated there were "more big names to be revealed shortly", while the event portal mentioned "famous personalities" would be taking part