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Amateur players are being offered an opportunity to claim A$1m when they face tennis' top professionals - featuring world number one Carlos Alcaraz - in a one-point battle prior to the Australian Grand Slam

Organizers of the Australian Open have revealed the Seven-Figure Quick-Fire Competition, which will pit 10 amateur players against 22 professionals in a knockout tournament at Melbourne Park

The Unique Competition Operates

Competitors are set to play 'the classic hand game' to establish who gets to serve or return, and whoever wins the point will move forward to the subsequent phase

The victor of the event will take home £490,000

For comparison, players who made it to the penultimate round of the men's or women's singles in the 2025 Australian Open won substantial prize money

Past Related Competitions

The American Grand Slam organized a restructured, separate combined gender tournament in August which encouraged top singles players to take part, with the winners receiving a million-dollar prize

The Australian Open held its first-ever single-point competition earlier this year, but the cash prize was sixty thousand Australian dollars and it had limited exposure

One top competitor was the single high-ranked athlete competing, and his progress came to an end when he directed the single service opportunity allowed into the mesh in his last eight match

Event Information

Officials have not said exactly how the event will operate, but it is projected to mirror a comparable structure to the previous version

The professionals will be granted to make one service and the non-professionals twice - as is the norm in standard play

While it is not certain how the bracket will work, there will be five knockout rounds and the site will be the main stadium rather than the smaller Kia Arena

The last matches will be held in a night session instead of 1pm local time

Entry Requirements

Domestic competitors - or international players who have enrolled with Tennis Australia - can enter 'single-point competition' competitions at their community centers

The winners of the community events will then go into a random pairing, with one amateur player from every geographic division picked to participate in the 'championship round' in a night session on mid-January

There will also be a entry tournament in late year which everyday players, developing professionals, famous personalities and sport stars can enter

It starts on the starting date and the successful competitors will go into the following day's 'grand finale' with the remaining non-professionals and 10 professionals

"Regardless of your skill level, the ultimate winner will walk away with the award. Applications will begin shortly at facilities throughout the nation"

Competition planners said there were "further celebrities to be announced soon", while the official website said "well-known figures" would be participating