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Amateur players are getting the possibility to win a seven-figure prize when they compete against world-class athletes - featuring leading player the Spanish champion - in a single-point showdown prior to the Australian Grand Slam

Event planners of the Melbourne major have announced the Seven-Figure Quick-Fire Competition, which will match a dozen non-professionals against top-ranked players in a single-elimination format at the tournament grounds

How the Tournament Functions

Players will play 'rock, paper, scissors' to determine who serves or receives, and the player who wins the point will move forward to the following stage

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

Contextually, players who advanced to the penultimate round of the men's or women's singles in the last edition won A$1.1m

Past Similar Events

The American Grand Slam staged a restructured, independent mixed doubles tournament in the eighth month which motivated top singles players to compete, with the champions receiving a million-dollar prize

The Melbourne tournament held its first-ever single-point competition earlier this year, but the total purse was A$60,000 and it received minimal attention

Andrey Rublev was the only top-10 player competing, and his campaign concluded when he directed the sole serving chance allowed into the mesh in his quarter-final

Competition Information

Officials have not said exactly how the event will work, but it is anticipated to mirror a akin setup to the previous version

The elite players will be allowed to have a single serve and the non-professionals two times - as is the usual procedure 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 secondary venue

The final stages will occur in a nighttime schedule instead of midday timing

Competitor Information

Local players - or overseas competitors who have enrolled with the governing body - can enter 'quick-match event' competitions at their community centers

The victors of the grassroots tournaments will then go into a selection process, with a single non-professional from every geographic division selected to compete in the 'championship round' in a evening match on Wednesday, 14 January

There will also be a preliminary competition in late year which everyday players, aspiring competitors, famous personalities and sports personalities can enter

It begins on Monday, 12 January and the pair of champions will advance to the following day's 'championship match' with the other eight amateurs and elite competitors

"No matter your experience, the final champion will receive the award. Registrations will begin shortly at facilities nationwide"

Event organizers mentioned there were "further celebrities to be revealed shortly", while the official website said "celebrities" would be participating