The 1 Point Slam
How to turn sport into content — without selling your soul
Tennis does not always help itself. It has an archaic, non-linear scoring system (15-love, 30-love, 40-love, deuce), obscure tournament hierarchies (Grand Slams, Masters, Challengers) and a highly cultivated reputation for stuffiness in certain parts of the world. Throw in the fact that matches can last up to six hours and little wonder the sport is struggling to attract younger viewers.
Given this, the gravitational pull of gimmicks can be irresistible. See the endless slop of exhibitions, ‘Battle of the Sexes’ re-matches and the proliferation of on-court microphones. The problem is many attempts at diversification clash with what actually makes tennis appealing, by diluting the stakes and sacrificing tension for speed. Instead of acting as a gateway drug, they serve only to further alienate potential fans.
So credit where credit is due: the Australian Open has created something good. The tournament officially commences on Sunday, but during qualifying week, it launched what it calls the 1 Point Slam1. This is exactly as it sounds — a one-point, winner-takes-all format on the main Rod Laver Arena that gives professionals, amateurs and wildcards the chance to compete for $1 million (around £500,000).
I think it worked for a few reasons. First, the premise is instantly understandable. One point: winners advance, losers go home. Second, instead of trying to simulate ‘real’ tennis badly, it does the opposite. The 1 Point Slam openly acknowledges: this is chaos. Third, it maximises tension without pretending to measure greatness.
This was achieved not only through the genuinely impressive prize money, but the format. Top players, including Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek, Jannik Sinner and Coco Gauff ran the very real risk of looking stupid. Men could lose to women, professionals to amateurs, Gen Z to Boomers.
The players certainly felt it. Sinner and Gauff both double faulted to crash out of the event (professionals were only allowed one serve). World number nine Taylor Fritz posted on social media: “Now that I’m actually watching it on TV, massive L from me to not be playing the one point slam, this looks like so much fun.”
