An amateur tennis player from Sydney beats Jannik Sinner on the Rod Laver Arena. Might sound outlandish, but the truth is often stranger than fiction as seen at this year’s One Point Slam at the Australian Open, where Jordan Smith won a point against the World No. 1. It seems that the Italian is not done with the One Point experience, as he is joined by Coco Gauff and others to battle against fellow pros as well as amateurs for a A$ 1 million prize.

“Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff, Naomi Osaka, and Jannik Sinner are early committed players for the 2027 edition of the vaunted One Point Slam,” said tennis insider Ben Rothenberg on X. While player withdrawals before events are common in tennis, the top stars committing early will help in drawing the audience for the event.

While people might point out that the One Point Slam is more of a glorified exhibition gimmick than an official Tour-level event, the announcement is significant in the broader context.

The last time Sinner was on a tennis court was when he lifted the Wimbledon title back in July. Since then, the World No.1 has been struggling with a knee injury, skipping Masters events as well as the US Open, before the Italian finally took the call to end his 2026 season altogether.

The Italian’s early commitment to be in Melbourne next year is good news for the fans who are waiting eagerly for the five-time Major champion to come back on the court.

Gauff’s decision to participate in the One-Point Slam will be a relief to her fans. The American just made the decision to withdraw from the last WTA 1000 event in Wuhan and talked about taking a rest. Her commitment to be in Melbourne shows that the World No. 4 has one eye on the next season.

The atmosphere of the One Point Slam also makes it an ideal setting for Sinner to return to the Tour before he has to handle playing full-throttle tennis at Tour-level events. The competition requires the Italian to play only five points if he reaches the final. Sinner himself was at the center of it all this year, as he missed his serve to lose to Smith, who went on to win the tournament. The Italian was all smiles during the competition, seen enjoying the on-court shenanigans with the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, and others on the sidelines.

Should Sinner make his comeback at the One Point Slam, it will mirror the route that Carlos Alcaraz took in his comeback at the US Open this year after recovering from his wrist injury. The Spaniard did have a soft landing at the mixed doubles competition along with Serena Williams, which helped the Spaniard get used to playing on one of the big showcourts after a long layoff.

Made for the fans, the One Point Slam often makes for fun moments as the pro-vs-amateur dynamic of tennis is on full display.

The 2026 One Point Slam’s Upsets Made It a Big Hit

Being an amateur, Jordan Smith’s win at the 2026 One Point Slam was the biggest storyline of the competition, but the event also saw several memorable moments as pros, amateurs, and even celebrities all went head-to-head. While the fun banter between stand-up comedian Andy Hill and Naomi Osaka had great entertainment value, the tournament’s sudden-death format gave amateurs equal footing to compete with professional players.

Another point of interest of the One Point Slam was the men and women playing against each other. Maria Sakkari beating Carlos Alcaraz, or Iga Swiatek beating the likes of Flavio Cobolli and Frances Tiafoe, were scenes that fans would not normally see at Tour-level events.

Even the runner-up, Joanna Garland, had a great run, winning against the likes of Nick Kyrgios and Alexander Zverev. The competition has grown in the last few years, with this year’s selection process set to take place from September to November to choose the amateur players who will be in action in the opening week of the 2027 Australian Open.

The local amateur players will be part of community events, with the winners having a chance to play at the State Championships. Once someone gets past that, they get an opportunity to qualify for the One Point Slam and fight for a life-changing amount of money.