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Amateur players are being offered an opportunity to earn a seven-figure prize when they compete against elite players - including world number one the Spanish champion - in a winner-takes-all point prior to the year's first major

Organizers of the year's first Grand Slam have announced the Seven-Figure Quick-Fire Competition, which will pair everyday competitors against elite athletes in a single-elimination format at the tournament grounds

This Innovative Tournament Functions

Competitors are set to play 'the decision-making game' to determine who gets to serve or return, and the player who wins the point will move forward to the following stage

The victor of the event will earn £490,000

Contextually, players who advanced to the penultimate round of the primary tournaments in the last edition won over a million Australian dollars

Earlier Similar Events

The US Open staged a redesigned, separate mixed doubles tournament in late summer which prompted top singles players to take part, with the champions receiving a million-dollar prize

The Melbourne tournament held its inaugural single-point competition this year, but the total purse was sixty thousand Australian dollars and it received minimal attention

Andrey Rublev was the only top-10 player participating, and his progress came to an end when he directed the one and only serve granted into the mesh in his quarter-final

Event Details

Officials have not specified precisely how the event will work, but it is anticipated to follow a akin setup to this year's edition

The elite players will be granted to serve once and the amateurs on two occasions - as is the standard practice in traditional tennis

While it is uncertain how the draw will work, there will be several competitive phases and the venue will be the primary court rather than the smaller Kia Arena

The concluding rounds will take place in a night session instead of 1pm local time

Participation Requirements

Any Australians - or foreign participants who have enrolled with the national federation - can enter 'quick-match event' tournaments at their neighborhood facilities

The victors of the grassroots tournaments will then go into a random pairing, with an everyday competitor from every state and territory selected to take part in the 'final competition' in a night session on mid-January

There will also be a entry tournament in late year which non-professionals, aspiring competitors, well-known figures and sport stars can enter

It starts on early January and the successful competitors will advance to the midweek 'grand finale' with the remaining non-professionals and 10 professionals

"Whether you're an amateur or a pro, the final champion will receive the award. Registrations will start imminently at facilities throughout the nation"

Event organizers stated there were "more big names to be announced soon", while the event portal said "famous personalities" would be involved