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Everyday tennis enthusiasts will have an opportunity to earn a seven-figure prize when they compete against elite players - headed by top-ranked the Spanish champion - in a single-point showdown prior to the year's first major

Tournament officials of the year's first Grand Slam have unveiled the Seven-Figure Quick-Fire Competition, which will match a dozen non-professionals against 22 professionals in a knockout tournament at Melbourne Park

How the Competition Operates

Competitors are set to play 'rock, paper, scissors' to decide who gets to serve or return, and whoever wins the point will progress to the following stage

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

By comparison, players who reached the penultimate round of the main draw competitions in the last edition won over a million Australian dollars

Past Related Competitions

The New York major organized a restructured, standalone mixed doubles tournament in late summer which encouraged top singles players to compete, with the winners receiving one million US dollars

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

One top competitor was the single high-ranked athlete competing, and his run came to an end when he sent the sole serving chance allowed into the net in his last eight match

Competition Details

Officials have not specified precisely how the event will function, but it is anticipated to emulate a similar format to this year's edition

The top competitors will be permitted to serve once and the everyday players twice - as is the norm in traditional tennis

While it is uncertain how the bracket will work, there will be several competitive phases and the location will be the primary court rather than the secondary venue

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

Participation Information

Domestic competitors - or overseas competitors who have enrolled with the governing body - can participate in 'single-point competition' events at their community centers

The victors of the community events will then go into a draw, with an everyday competitor from every region and area picked to take part in the 'final competition' in a evening match on the specified date

There will also be a entry tournament in late year which non-professionals, aspiring competitors, celebrities and athletic celebrities can compete in

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

"No matter your experience, the overall victor will walk away with the reward. Applications will start imminently at venues throughout the nation"

Tournament officials stated there were "more big names to be announced soon", while the event portal mentioned "famous personalities" would be involved