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Amateur players are being offered the possibility to earn a seven-figure prize when they face world-class athletes - featuring top-ranked the Spanish champion - in a winner-takes-all point prior to the year's first major

Event planners of the Australian Open have announced the Seven-Figure Quick-Fire Competition, which will pit a dozen non-professionals against 22 professionals in a knockout tournament at Melbourne Park

This Innovative Tournament Functions

Competitors are set to play 'the classic hand game' to establish who gets to serve or return, and the competitor securing the point will advance to the subsequent phase

The champion of the event will earn £490,000

By comparison, players who made it to the penultimate round of the primary tournaments in the previous year's tournament won A$1.1m

Earlier Related Competitions

The American Grand Slam hosted a redesigned, separate mixed doubles tournament in August which encouraged top singles players to participate, with the champions receiving one million US dollars

The Melbourne tournament held its inaugural quick-fire event in the current season, but the total purse was sixty thousand Australian dollars and it generated little publicity

One top competitor was the single high-ranked athlete competing, and his progress concluded when he sent the one and only serve permitted failing to clear the net in his penultimate round

Event Information

Organizers have not said exactly how the event will work, but it is projected to follow a comparable structure to the most recent iteration

The professionals will be allowed to have a single serve and the amateurs two times - as is the standard practice in traditional tennis

While it is unclear how the bracket will work, there will be multiple elimination stages and the venue will be the main stadium rather than the smaller Kia Arena

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

Participation Requirements

Domestic competitors - or overseas competitors who have registered with Tennis Australia - can enter 'quick-match event' competitions at their community centers

The victors of the grassroots tournaments will then go into a draw, with a single non-professional from every geographic division selected 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 sports personalities can compete in

It begins on Monday, 12 January and the successful competitors will qualify for the following day's 'final showdown' with the remaining non-professionals and elite competitors

"Regardless of your skill level, the overall victor will walk away with the prize. Applications will open soon at clubs throughout the nation"

Competition planners mentioned there were "more big names to be revealed shortly", while the event portal mentioned "famous personalities" would be involved