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Amateur players are getting an opportunity to claim a seven-figure prize when they face world-class athletes - featuring leading player the Spanish champion - in a winner-takes-all point prior to the Australian Grand Slam

Event planners of the year's first Grand Slam have revealed the Seven-Figure Quick-Fire Competition, which will pair 10 amateur players against elite athletes in a single-elimination format at Melbourne Park

This Innovative Competition Operates

Participants must play 'the classic hand game' to establish who gets to serve or return, and the player who wins the point will move forward to the next round

The winner of the event will earn £490,000

Contextually, players who reached the semi-finals of the men's or women's singles in the last edition won substantial prize money

Past Similar Events

The US Open hosted a redesigned, separate combined gender tournament in the eighth month which encouraged top singles players to compete, with the victors receiving a million-dollar prize

The Melbourne tournament held its debut quick-fire event in the current season, but the prize fund was A$60,000 and it had limited exposure

The Russian player was the single high-ranked athlete involved, and his campaign concluded when he put the sole serving chance granted failing to clear the net in his last eight match

Event Information

Planners have not specified precisely how the event will work, but it is anticipated to emulate a comparable structure to the previous version

The elite players will be allowed to have a single serve and the everyday players on two occasions - as is the norm in conventional tennis

While it is not certain how the draw will work, there will be several competitive phases and the site will be the Rod Laver Arena rather than the smaller Kia Arena

The concluding rounds will occur in a evening slot instead of midday timing

Participation Requirements

Domestic competitors - or foreign participants who have signed up with the national federation - can enter 'quick-match event' tournaments at their local tennis clubs

The champions of the grassroots tournaments will then go into a selection process, with a single non-professional from every geographic division picked to take part in the 'final competition' in a evening match on Wednesday, 14 January

There will also be a preliminary competition in the final month which everyday players, developing professionals, well-known figures and athletic celebrities can enter

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

"No matter your experience, the overall victor will claim the prize. Applications will start imminently at venues across the country"

Tournament officials mentioned there were "further celebrities to be unveiled imminently", while the event portal said "well-known figures" would be involved