Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz toward an unprecedented challenge for both

There will also be Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz on the board of the’AO 1 Point Slam, the “appetizer tournament” of the Australian Open characterized by matches decided by playing a single point, next Jan. 14. The South Tyrolean also took up the challenge, joining his friend-rival Murciano, who had already confirmed his presence in recent weeks. Along with Sinner, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff, who are ranked No. 2 and No. 3 in the WTA rankings, respectively, are also entered in the tournament. Among the men, the presence of Nick Kyrgios, one of the first to accept the challenge proposed by the organizers of the first Slam of the season, is also expected.

The format of the event will feature matches decided by the “winner-takes-all” formula: a draw will determine who will be entrusted with the serve and the’only point played will be the decisive one for winning the mini-match. In addition to professional tennis players, the draw will include amateur players selected on the basis of specific eliminations organized by Tennis Australia and wild cards awaiting confirmation. The prize money is mouthwatering: to the winner, in addition to the glory of prevailing over all opponents at Rod Laver Arena, the home of the Australian Open, will go one million Australian dollars, an amount equal to about 560,000 euros.

Francesco Lucivero

The director of the Australian Open, Craig Tiley, stressed the’exceptional nature of the initiative and the enthusiasm he said it is generating. “The 1 Point Slam tournament is like nothing we have ever seen before– he said. Having stars like Iga Swiatek, Jannik Sinner and Coco Gauff as recent confirmations, along with Australians who will qualify through the state championships, perfectly represents the spirit of this event: bringing people together through tennis in an exciting and inclusive way”. Winners of the Australian state championships will earn a place in the main draw and participate at the organization’s expense.

In addition to the qualifying tracks already in place, amateur players will have an’additional opportunity to access the Rod Laver Arena main draw: new qualifying sessions will in fact be held in Melbourne Park during Opening Week. An important opportunity to have the chance to challenge, if only for a few seconds, the greatest champions of contemporary tennis, with the prospect of competing for a decidedly significant amount of money. An unprecedented challenge, by the way, even for professionals, with the one-point matches likely to yield quite a few surprises.

The 2026 edition will be the 114th edition of the Australian Open, the 58th in the Open Era. The men&#8217s individual title holder is Jannik Sinner, who reaffirmed in 2024 the success he had already achieved the previous year. At the women’s level, however, the defending champion is Madison Keys, who last year defeated Aryna Sabalenka in the final.