VIDEO SHOWS: VARIOUS OF 2026 AUSTRALIAN OPEN MEDIA LAUNCH/ SOUNDBITES FROM AUSTRALIAN OPEN TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR CRAIG TILEY/ FILE OF CARLOS ALCARAZ AT THE 2025 AUSTRALIAN OPEN SHOWS: MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA (OCTOBER 7, 2025) (TENNIS AUSTRALIA – Editorial use only) 1. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING TO THE EVENT 2. PRESENTERS INTRODUCING AUSTRALIAN OPEN TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR CRAIG TILEY 3. VARIOUS OF TILEY ADDRESSING THE PUBLIC AT THE MEDIA LAUNCH EVENT 4. AO26 LAUNCH EVENT VIDEO RUNNING ON SCREENS MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA (OCTOBER 7, 2025)(AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION – Broadcast: No use Australia Digital: No use Australia / .com.au internet sites / any internet site of any Australia based media organisations or mobile platforms / Australian NVO clients / smh.com.au / news.com.au) 5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CRAIG TILEY SAYING: "It was again a great opportunity to showcase what we deliver in AO26. And as you saw, it's a 21-day event, opening week, more access for fans to the great players of the world. We'll have all of them here in opening week, and the announcement of the one million one-point slam, and then going into us even continuing to expand the precinct, going up with the precinct, having a different way to view the game. And then, of course, the rivalries that we expect from the players. We've got a commitment from every single player to be here in January. Not only will they be at the Australian Open, they're going to be leading in the events, the cities around Australia. So we're very proud of the fact that for six weeks in the year, we can own this calendar for this global sport. So '26 will be no different. We're coming off the back of 1.2 million fans coming through the gate, over 2 billion watching it around the world. And this is not only about breaking records for us, but it's about providing an opportunity for our fans to have an unbelievable time and to go away and say that not only do they want to come back, but they look forward to next year. So, thank you for coming today. And this launch was probably a bit of an indication. It's the biggest launch we've ever done and a bit of an indication of what we've got planned for '26." MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA (OCTOBER 7, 2025) (TENNIS AUSTRALIA – Editorial use only) (MUTE) 6. TILEY POSING WITH OTHER AO MEMBERS ON STAGE MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA (OCTOBER 7, 2025)(AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION – Broadcast: No use Australia Digital: No use Australia / .com.au internet sites / any internet site of any Australia based media organisations or mobile platforms / Australian NVO clients / smh.com.au / news.com.au) 7. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CRAIG TILEY SAYING: "It's a lot of money. It could be an amateur in Australia coming from any part of the country. We wanted to give a million reasons for our community to pick up a tennis racket and give it a go, so this is not just about the Australian Open, it's about playing this great sport right throughout between now and January, and you will see amateurs showing up with a packed Rod Laver Arena potentially in the first round drawing Carlos Alcaraz or the other players we'll announce over the course of the next coming weeks, but we'll have all the top players playing because they get an opportunity, of course, to make a million dollars too. So, you get awarded that if you win the final match, that one point. And if you want to see pressure and great athletes of the world take on that pressure when there's that much at stake, that could lose an amateur. This is just about raising the stakes for that event. We trialed it this past year. We had $60,000 on the first prize check, and it was very well received by the top players. And they all want to participate next year. This is the feedback that we got from our fans to create something new in the one-point Slam. It's never been done before, never to this scale, and you don't have an opportunity for someone playing at a local club somewhere in Australia, that they actually have an aspiration and a direction to get to play for a significant amount of money at the Australian Open. So we think it's going to work great. We think we're going to get the stadium packed. And it's opening week, again, entertainment, something new and different for our fans in opening week." MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA (FILE – JANUARY 10, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) 8. VARIOUS OF SPANISH TENNIS PLAYER, CARLOS ALCARAZ, TRAINING 9. VARIOUS OF ALCARAZ PRACTISING HIS VOLLEY 10. VARIOUS OF ALCARAZ TRAINING STORY: Bold swings and cheeky dropshots can earn amateur tennis players bragging rights and a million-dollar payday when they take on top professionals in a single-point showdown ahead of next year's Australian Open main draw. Organisers of the Grand Slam announced on Tuesday (October 7) the Million Dollar 1 Point Slam will pit 10 amateur players from across Australia against an elite field of 22 professionals headlined by world number one Carlos Alcaraz, with the winner pocketing A$1 million ($661,000). The event, part of the expanded opening week of the major, features an elimination draw with 'rock, paper, scissors' used to determine who will serve or receive, and the winner of the point going through to the next round. It proved hugely popular among fans after its introduction at this year's tournament in January, with some of the amateurs toppling more fancied opponents, before Australian professional Omar Jasika won the event to claim the A$60,000 prize. With the stakes now much higher, qualifying will take place across Australia and at the major, with the final to be played at the iconic Rod Laver Arena. "With more big names to be announced soon, you now have a million reasons to pick up a racket and get ready for January," Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley said. Tiley added that the first of the three weeks of the Grand Slam, from January 12-17, will be open with free entry for kids, and live music lighting up Grand Slam Oval every night. Both men's and women's doubles finals will be played on the afternoon of the final Saturday on the main showcourt. The main draw runs from January 18 to February 1. (Production: Suramya Kaushik)
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