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Everyday tennis enthusiasts will have the chance to win one million Australian dollars when they compete against tennis' top professionals - featuring leading player the Spanish champion - in a winner-takes-all point before the year's first major

Tournament officials of the Melbourne major have revealed the Seven-Figure Quick-Fire Competition, which will pair a dozen non-professionals against top-ranked players in a elimination competition at Melbourne Park

The Unique Event Will Work

Competitors are set to play 'the classic hand game' to decide who gets to serve or return, and the competitor securing the point will move forward to the following stage

The champion of the event will earn a significant cash prize

For comparison, players who made it to the semi-finals of the main draw competitions in the 2025 Australian Open won over a million Australian dollars

Past Similar Events

The New York major hosted a redesigned, standalone mixed doubles tournament in August which encouraged top singles players to take part, with the victors receiving $1m

The year's first major held its first-ever quick-fire event in the current season, but the prize fund was a smaller amount and it generated little publicity

Andrey Rublev was the single high-ranked athlete participating, and his campaign concluded when he put the single service opportunity permitted failing to clear the net in his quarter-final

Tournament Information

Officials have not detailed exactly how the event will function, but it is expected to emulate a akin setup to the most recent iteration

The professionals will be granted to make one service and the non-professionals on two occasions - as is the standard practice in standard play

While it is uncertain how the pairings will work, there will be multiple elimination stages and the site will be the Rod Laver Arena rather than the secondary venue

The concluding rounds will be held in a nighttime schedule instead of 1pm local time

Participation Information

Local players - or overseas competitors who have enrolled with the national federation - can compete in 'quick-match event' tournaments at their local tennis clubs

The champions of the local competitions will then go into a selection process, with one amateur player from every geographic division selected to compete in the 'grand finale' in a evening match on the specified date

There will also be a preliminary competition in the final month which non-professionals, lower ranked pros, celebrities and athletic celebrities can compete in

It begins on early January and the pair of champions will go into the following day's 'championship match' with the additional everyday players and top-ranked athletes

"Whether you're an amateur or a pro, the final champion will receive the award. Applications will open soon at facilities across the country"

Event organizers said there were "additional stars to be announced soon", while the event portal said "well-known figures" would be taking part