The Australian Open will bring back its wildly unpredictable 1 Point Slam in 2027, with Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff, Naomi Osaka and Jannik Sinner among the stars confirmed to compete in the one-point, sudden-death tournament.
The event will return to Melbourne Park on Jan. 13, ahead of the Australian Open, after its headline-making debut in 2026 gave amateur players a rare chance to share the court with some of the biggest names in tennis.
The format is deliberately simple. Every match consists of a single point, with the winner advancing and the loser immediately eliminated. Professionals, amateurs and celebrity wildcards compete in the same knockout field, meaning one serve, return or mistake can decide a player's entire tournament.
The concept produced one of the biggest surprises of the 2026 Australian tennis season when Sydney amateur Jordan Smith won the inaugural edition in front of a packed Rod Laver Arena.
Smith, who qualified through the grassroots pathway as New South Wales state champion, defeated several established professionals on his way to the title, including Sinner and Amanda Anisimova, before beating Taiwan's Joanna Garland in the final to claim the A$1 million prize.
His unexpected run illustrated the appeal of the format, giving club-level players the opportunity to face elite professionals while putting a significant prize and the spotlight of a Grand Slam crowd on the line.
Tennis Australia Chief Tennis Officer Tom Larner said the event was designed to bring elite and grassroots tennis together.
"It creates an opportunity for grassroots tennis players to share the spotlight with some of the biggest names in the game," Larner said.
"Having stars like Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff, Naomi Osaka and Jannik Sinner locked in to play, alongside everyday Australians ... captures exactly what this event is about, bringing people together through tennis."
The amateur field for 2027 will again feature eight state and territory championship winners, with eight additional players earning places through qualifying events held across Australia. Community competitions and club events will provide pathways into the tournament, with more qualifying opportunities scheduled during Australian Open Opening Week.
The format will again put men and women in the same draw, adding another layer of unpredictability to a competition where traditional rankings and experience can quickly become irrelevant.
A game of rock-paper-scissors typically determines who serves and who receives, before the players have just one point to settle the contest.
That simplicity is central to the event's appeal. A world-class player can be eliminated by a perfectly timed return, while an amateur can seize a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with a single winning point.
The 2027 final will be played at Rod Laver Arena, with the winner again taking home the A$1 million prize and the tournament's distinctive trophy made from Australian silver.
The 1 Point Slam will form part of an expanded Australian Open festival that begins Jan. 11, with the main draw getting underway Jan. 17 and the tournament running through Jan. 31.
More than 1.3 million fans attended the 2026 Australian Open, setting a record for the tournament, and organizers are planning further upgrades for 2027. Those changes include increased viewing capacity, additional seating, expanded shaded areas and a larger Grand Slam Oval designed to accommodate more fans across the Melbourne Park precinct.
