By: Express News ServiceOctober 9, 2025 04:21 PM IST 3 min readCarlos Alcaraz, of Spain, returns a shot to Jannik Sinner, of Italy, during the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships in New York. (AP Photo)What are the chances of an amateur – of any age – winning a point against World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz on a court that hosts a Grand Slam final?They can find out by entering the ‘One Point Slam’, to be held just before next year’s Australian Open. It will pit 10 amateurs and 22 professionals – including Alcaraz, who won two of the four Grand Slams in 2025 – in a knockout competition at Melbourne Park, with the eventual winner taking home a million Australian dollars.It is another initiative to create buzz around a big tennis event after the US Open held a standalone mixed doubles tournament before the main event with bigger prize money and shorter matches, featuring some of the top singles players in the world, causing consternation among those who depend on doubles to make a living.In the ‘One Point Slam’, ‘rock, paper, scissors’ will be used to determine who serves or receives, and the winner of the point will advance to the next round. In a handicap system of sorts, the professionals will be allowed just one serve, while the amateurs two, the norm in the game.The Australian Open held its inaugural One Point Slam event this year, but the prize fund was A$60,000 with Russian Andrey Rublev the only top-10 player involved.To put the million-dollar top prize in perspective, the players losing in the singles semifinals of the 2025 Australian Open earned A$1.1 million.“Whether you’re an amateur or a pro, the ultimate winner will walk away with the prize,” Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said, adding there were “more big names to be announced soon.”Story continues below this adThe tournament website said “celebrities” would be involved. There will be five knockout rounds. This year’s event was held at the smaller Kia Arena, but in 2026, it will be held on the main show court – the Rod Laver Arena on the first weekend of the opening Grand Slam of the tennis season. The final stages will be held in the night session, instead of the 1 pm slot this year, the BBC reported. There will be qualifiers held across the country to finalise the 10 amateurs who will take on the professionals. Any Australian – or international players registered with Tennis Australia – can enter the competition at their local tennis club.The main draw of the Australian Open runs from January 12 to February 1.But not everyone is enamoured by the initiative with the legendary Martina Navratilova believing it reduces tennis to the level of a stunt. She asks: “Is the tennis itself not good enough?”© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Carlos Alcaraz