The 1 Point Slam is a one-point-per-match knockout tennis event that turned an Australian amateur into a millionaire, and it is returning to the Australian Open ahead of the 2027 edition of the Grand Slam.
Tournament organizers confirmed Wednesday that the event will again offer a top prize of one million Australian dollars, equivalent to approximately $705,000 at current exchange rates, when it runs in the days before the main draw begins at Melbourne Park on Jan. 17.
The slam format is exactly what the name suggests. Each match lasts exactly one point. A player wins or loses on a single stroke, and the bracket proceeds from there. Last January, that structure produced one of the more unlikely stories in recent tennis, when local amateur Jordan Smith defeated Jannik Sinner along the way to the title, winning the final when his opponent, Joanna Garland, the world No. 117 from Taiwan, sent a two-handed backhand wide on the deciding stroke.
How last year’s event unfolded
The 1 Point Slam drew from a field that mixed professional players, amateurs and celebrities, with each participant having an equal chance of winning or losing on any given point. Among the professionals who competed were Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Alexander Zverev and Naomi Osaka. Among the celebrities was Taiwanese pop star Jay Chou, who was eliminated without touching a ball after the player across the net served an ace.
Smith, who had qualified through a competition held at Sydney Olympic Park, made his way through the bracket to the final and outlasted a field that included some of the best professional players in the world. The final came down to a single point, and when Garland’s backhand sailed wide, Smith became a millionaire in Australian dollars.
He said Wednesday that he had not expected any of it to unfold the way it did. The path from a qualifying event to Rod Laver Arena to a life-changing prize was not something he had imagined when he entered. He added that he plans to host a qualifying event at his own club this year and hopes his story encourages other recreational players to participate.
How the 2027 edition will work
The Australian Open announced that affiliated tennis clubs, associations, coaches and partner schools across Australia can register interest beginning next week to host a qualifying event as part of the national leadup to the Melbourne Park final. That grassroots structure means the path from local club to the world’s most famous tennis venue is open again to anyone willing to enter.
The appeal of the format is partly its radical equality. A single point separates winning from losing regardless of ranking, reputation or experience. A professional who double-faults or misses a routine groundstroke is gone, while an amateur who catches the line or wins a net point advances. Over a full tournament, that structure produces the kind of volatility that makes upsets not just possible but probable.
Last year’s slam demonstrated both the entertainment value and the human interest potential of the concept. Smith’s win was covered as a tennis story and as a broader feel-good story about what can happen when an event is designed to include everyone rather than only those at the top of the professional game.
What the return means for recreational tennis
Australian Open organizers have been working to grow the sport’s base beyond professional competition, and the 1 Point Slam fits that goal by giving club-level players a direct line to an international stage with a significant financial incentive attached. A prize structure of that size, available to someone playing at a club rather than on tour, is unusual enough to attract participants who would never consider themselves candidates for a professional tennis event.
Smith’s win last year made the scenario concrete rather than theoretical. The prize changed his life, and the slam format that produced it will now offer the same possibility to whoever qualifies next year.
