Tennis ace probed for alleged fake Covid certificate – media
Italian tennis player Camila Giorgi is being investigated by her country’s police over claims that she submitted a fake Covid-19 vaccination certificate to play at tournaments throughout 2022, including the Australian Open.
According to a report by Italian publication La Repubblica, Giorgi’s physician Daniela Grillone has alleged that the tennis player was not vaccinated, and that she sought a fake Covid-19 certificate from the doctor.
Grillone was charged by Italian police in February for ‘vaccinating’ well over 100 people with a fake serum and supplying documents which stated that the subject was vaccine compliant. She has co-operated with investigators, telling them that her surgery was inundated with requests for fake vaccinations by members of the public.
“The Giorgi family has been under treatment with me for a long time,” Grillone said in an interview with daily newspaper the Corriere del Veneto.
“Camila Giorgi suffered from the so-called tennis elbow. Shortly before the beginning of summer, she had come asking for the possibility of obtaining false attestations of all the mandatory vaccines, as well as the Covid vaccine.
“I can confirm with absolute certainty that none of the vaccines against the Giorgi family have actually been administered. I have not received any payment in that case.
“I am deeply upset and sorry for my action.”
Should the allegations be true, it would mean that Giorgi would have been non-compliant with the vaccine regulations ahead of last year’s Australian Open, where she was eliminated in the third round by eventual winner Ash Barty.
She also played three tournaments in the United States last year, including the US Open, despite vaccinations being mandatory to enter the country.
Giorgi is currently in Australia, where she is scheduled to compete in the Australian Open, which begins in Melbourne on January 16.
Top-ranked male tennis player Novak Djokovic was infamously deported from Australia last year after falling foul of the country’s vaccination rules – but since November, Covid-19 vaccination is no longer required to enter Australia.
However, according to Australia’s Department of Home Affairs, if a person is found to have falsified official documents they remain eligible for deportation.
The WTA, meanwhile, says that it is aware of the investigation being undertaken by Italian police.
“We are aware of the allegations and are currently monitoring the situation and any investigations that may be brought forward,” they said in a statement.
