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Recreational competitors are getting the possibility to win a seven-figure prize when they take on tennis' top professionals - featuring top-ranked the Spanish champion - in a winner-takes-all point before the Australian Grand Slam

Event planners of the year's first Grand Slam have announced the Seven-Figure Quick-Fire Competition, which will pit 10 amateur players against top-ranked players in a elimination competition at the Australian Open venue

How the Competition Operates

Participants must play 'rock, paper, scissors' to establish who takes the serve or return position, and the competitor securing the point will progress to the subsequent phase

The winner of the event will earn a significant cash prize

By comparison, players who reached the penultimate round of the main draw competitions in the previous year's tournament won A$1.1m

Earlier Related Competitions

The American Grand Slam hosted a restructured, separate combined gender tournament in August which encouraged top singles players to take part, with the victors receiving $1m

The Melbourne tournament held its first-ever One Point Slam this year, but the cash prize was A$60,000 and it had limited exposure

Andrey Rublev was the only top-10 player competing, and his run finished when he put the one and only serve permitted failing to clear the net in his quarter-final

Competition Details

Planners have not detailed exactly how the event will function, but it is projected to follow a similar format to this year's edition

The professionals will be allowed to have a single serve and the non-professionals twice - as is the norm in conventional tennis

While it is not certain how the pairings will work, there will be multiple elimination stages and the venue will be the primary court rather than the alternative court

The last matches will be held in a nighttime schedule instead of early afternoon

Participation Requirements

Domestic competitors - or foreign participants who have signed up with Tennis Australia - can participate in 'single-point competition' competitions at their local tennis clubs

The champions of the local competitions will then go into a random pairing, with one amateur player from every state and territory chosen to compete in the 'final competition' in a night session on Wednesday, 14 January

There will also be a qualifying draw in late year which non-professionals, aspiring competitors, famous personalities and sport stars can enter

It starts on early January and the successful competitors will advance to the midweek 'grand finale' with the other eight amateurs and elite competitors

"Regardless of your skill level, the final champion will walk away with the award. Registrations will open soon at venues nationwide"

Event organizers said there were "more big names to be unveiled imminently", while the event portal mentioned "famous personalities" would be taking part