The Australian Open is hosting a Fortnite competition

The official Twitter account for the Australian Open tennis competition has revealed something rather surprising, as alongside top talent in the traditional sport we'll also be receiving a Fortnite tournament as well.

From January 26 to 27 during finals weekend the solos competition will take place, and "Australia's best Fortnite players are set to compete in a solos tournament with a further 100 personalities from sports, entertainment and the gaming world taking part in a Pro-Am duos tournament for a record $500,000 in combined prize money and charitable donations," as revealed by the website.

There will be three phases - registration, qualification, and finals - with points awarded as follows:

Victory Royale: +3 Points
2nd-3rd Place: +2 Points
4th-10th Place: +1 Point
3-4 Eliminations: +1 Point
5-6 Eliminations: +2 Points
7+ Eliminations: +3 Points

After that the first 500 eligible players to register online will play in one of five heats at the Margaret Court Arena on January 26, with each heat having two matches and taking the top 20 from each heat to a six-match grand final event the day after. After that we'll see a three-match Pro-AM duos tournament take place.

First place in solos will win $100,000 AUD, with $50,000 going to the first-place duos, who will donate it to a charity of their choice. Registration opens at 12:00 AEDT on January 9 (Wednesday) on a first come first served basis, and players will need to be 16 years of age or older, with a few other requirements to bear in mind as listed on the site.

Are you surprised at this announcement?