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Everyday tennis enthusiasts are being offered the chance to claim A$1m when they take on world-class athletes - including world number one Carlos Alcaraz - in a one-point battle prior to January's Australian Open

Organizers of the Melbourne major have unveiled the Seven-Figure Quick-Fire Competition, which will pit everyday competitors against 22 professionals in a knockout tournament at Melbourne Park

How the Event Will Work

Players will play 'the decision-making game' to establish who serves or receives, and the player who wins the point will progress to the subsequent phase

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

Contextually, players who made it to the semi-finals of the main draw competitions in the 2025 Australian Open won A$1.1m

Past Comparable Tournaments

The American Grand Slam hosted 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 year's first major held its inaugural quick-fire event in the current season, but the prize fund was sixty thousand Australian dollars and it received minimal attention

The Russian player was the single high-ranked athlete participating, and his progress came to an end when he put the one and only serve granted into the mesh in his penultimate round

Tournament Information

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

The professionals will be allowed to make one service and the non-professionals on two occasions - as is the norm in traditional tennis

While it is unclear how the draw will work, there will be multiple elimination stages and the venue will be the main stadium rather than the secondary venue

The final stages will occur in a night session instead of early afternoon

Competitor Information

Domestic competitors - or foreign participants who have signed up with the governing body - can enter 'single-point competition' competitions at their neighborhood facilities

The champions of the grassroots tournaments will then go into a draw, with one amateur player from every geographic division selected to participate in the 'championship round' in a nighttime event on mid-January

There will also be a preliminary competition in the final month which non-professionals, aspiring competitors, well-known figures and sport stars can enter

It starts on Monday, 12 January and the two winners will advance to the midweek 'final showdown' with the additional everyday players and top-ranked athletes

"Whether you're an amateur or a pro, the ultimate winner will receive the reward. Entries will begin shortly at clubs nationwide"

Tournament officials stated there were "additional stars to be announced soon", while the tournament site indicated "well-known figures" would be participating