Another million dollars on the line: Australian Open announces return of popular One Point Slam in 2027 after amateur success

At the start of the year, the Australian Open had tennis fans around the world gripped to their seats as the best players competed for Grand Slam glory. Before the competition got started, a more light-hearted but equally competitive event saw tennis players come together in a hugely popular event called the One Point Slam with a whopping $1 million Australian dollars (£490,000 or $705,000) on the line. The huge hit is set to make a return in 2027, welcoming news for many following the success of 2026.

The concept is simple. One point is played, and the winner advances. There are no second serves with the server decided by a game of rock paper scissors. It is a knockout tournament which culminates with one final with much at stake.

Last year, Aussie amateur Jordan Smith defied the stacked odds to power through the competition and win the money, defeating the then world number 117 Joanna Garland. Defeating Jannik Sinner and Amanda Anisimova along the way, it was a memorable night on Rod Laver Arena with Smith leaving a whole lot richer.

The tournament has a mix of professional tennis players, celebrities and amateurs who previously came through qualifying rounds. Smith was the New South Wales champion, earning his spot in the draw.

"My journey started at a qualifying event at Sydney Olympic Park - I never expected it would lead to me stepping onto Rod Laver Arena and competing against world-class players, let alone walking away as the winner. It completely changed my life," Smith said in an Australian Open statement.

"This year we'll be hosting an event at our own club and hopefully inspiring more players to give it a go, just like I did. You never know where it might take you."

The road to competing in the One Point Slam begins next week with affiliated clubs, associations, coaches and partner schools across Australia eligible to register their interest in hosting these events as a lucky handful of tennis players will get the chance to live their dream among the greatest players in the world.

You can only go back and watch the clips to see why it was so popular. The constant action on court and high stakes made it a very entertaining format with some drama happening around every corner.

Everyone was a great sport with the ATP and WTA stars joining forces off the court as they joked and laughed together, fully concentrating on the action. Many of them stuck around right until the end to see Smith win the event, showing how popular it was among them.

It went down brilliantly with the fans as well. Rod Laver Arena hosted proceedings with many flooding in for the exhibition and not leaving disappointed. While only getting a short glimpse of some of the top talents, the sheer number of matches and drama kept them on the edge of their seat throughout as the field dwindled down.

A vast variety of well-known names turned up. This included Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Jasmine Paolini, Naomi Osaka and Maria Sakkari among the competitors. Many of them will be willing to put their name forward to return to compete for glory. It will be held at the start of next year before the Australian Open main draw gets underway from January 17-31.