The Australian Open will bring back its innovative “1 Point Slam” in 2027, with some of the biggest names in tennis set to take part in the unique sudden-death competition.
Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka have committed to the event, which will once again bring professional players together with amateur competitors and celebrity wildcards. The format made its debut at Melbourne Park in 2026 ahead of the opening Grand Slam tournament of the season and quickly became one of the most unusual attractions surrounding the Australian Open. Organisers are now preparing to expand the concept as part of the build-up to the 2027 tournament, scheduled to be held from January 17 to 31.
The “1 Point Slam” has a deliberately simple format. Every match consists of a single point, with the winner advancing and the loser immediately eliminated. The concept removes the conventional scoring, games and sets associated with professional tennis and places enormous importance on one exchange. The inaugural competition featured 24 professional players alongside 24 amateurs and celebrity wildcards, creating an unusual mix of established stars and players with little or no experience competing at the highest level. The format also gave spectators an opportunity to see leading professionals in a much shorter, more unpredictable contest than a conventional match.
The first edition produced a major surprise when amateur Jordan Smith defeated the star-studded field at a packed Rod Laver Arena. His victory earned him a prize of Aus$1 million, equivalent to about US$670,000, and provided the event with the kind of dramatic outcome organisers had hoped the format could generate. With only one point separating victory from elimination, the competition can produce results that would be highly unlikely in a standard best-of-three or best-of-five match. The success of the inaugural event has encouraged Tennis Australia to continue with the concept and attract an even stronger professional field for its second edition.
Tennis Australia executive Tom Larner said the competition was designed to create an opportunity for grassroots players to share the spotlight with some of the biggest names in the sport. The participation of Alcaraz, Sinner, Gauff and Osaka is expected to give the 2027 edition additional visibility while retaining the event’s focus on bringing professional and amateur tennis players together. The presence of four globally recognised stars also adds an element of unpredictability, as even elite players will have no opportunity to recover from an early mistake in a contest decided by a single point. For amateur participants, meanwhile, the format offers a rare chance to compete directly against some of the leading figures in international tennis.
The amateur field for the 2027 competition will again include players selected through state championship events held across Australia. Eight places will be awarded to winners of those state-level competitions, while another eight amateurs will earn their spots through qualifying. The organisers are expected to combine those 16 amateur participants with professional players and celebrity wildcards, recreating the mixed-field format that helped make the first edition distinctive. The competition is intended to give recreational and grassroots players a pathway to a high-profile tennis stage while also offering spectators a different form of entertainment alongside the traditional Australian Open programme.
The return of the “1 Point Slam” comes as organisers prepare for another major Australian Open after more than 1.3 million fans attended the 2026 edition. Tennis Australia is planning to increase viewing capacity and seating for the 2027 tournament as it looks to accommodate continued demand around Melbourne Park. The Grand Slam itself will run from January 17 to 31, while the one-point competition will form part of the surrounding programme. With Alcaraz, Sinner, Gauff and Osaka already committed, the 2027 edition is set to combine established stars, aspiring amateurs and a format in which a single point can determine everything. After an amateur won the inaugural event against a field packed with professionals, the prospect of another upset is likely to remain one of its biggest attractions.