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Amateur players will have the chance to earn a seven-figure prize when they compete against elite players - headed by leading player Carlos Alcaraz - in a one-point battle before the year's first major

Organizers of the year's first Grand Slam have unveiled the Seven-Figure Quick-Fire Competition, which will pair 10 amateur players against elite athletes in a knockout tournament at Melbourne Park

This Innovative Tournament Functions

Competitors are set to play 'the classic hand game' to decide who serves or receives, and the player who wins the point will progress to the subsequent phase

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

Contextually, players who reached the final four of the primary tournaments in the previous year's tournament won over a million Australian dollars

Past Similar Events

The American Grand Slam staged a redesigned, separate mixed doubles tournament in late summer which motivated top singles players to participate, with the winners receiving a million-dollar prize

The Melbourne tournament held its debut quick-fire event in the current season, but the cash prize was a smaller amount and it received minimal attention

The Russian player was the single high-ranked athlete involved, and his progress finished when he directed the sole serving chance granted into the net in his last eight match

Tournament Specifics

Organizers have not said exactly how the event will work, but it is anticipated to mirror a similar format to this year's edition

The top competitors will be permitted to serve once and the amateurs two times - as is the usual procedure in traditional tennis

While it is unclear 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 final stages will occur in a evening slot instead of early afternoon

Participation Information

Local players - or foreign participants who have signed up with the national federation - can participate in 'One Point Slam' events at their community centers

The winners of the local competitions will then go into a selection process, with a single non-professional from every region and area selected to compete in the 'grand finale' in a night session on the specified date

There will also be a preliminary competition in the final month which non-professionals, lower ranked pros, celebrities and sports personalities can participate in

It commences on Monday, 12 January and the two winners will advance to the following day's 'final showdown' with the additional everyday players and 10 professionals

"Regardless of your skill level, the overall victor will walk away with the prize. Applications will start imminently at venues across the country"

Tournament officials said there were "more big names to be revealed shortly", while the official website said "famous personalities" would be participating