Giorgi's press conference following her Australian Open first round victory against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, a Russian player competing as a neutral, was dominated by questions relating to the claims made by Vicenza-based doctor Daniela Grillone.

Grillone is under investigation by Italian police for allegedly providing fake COVID-19 injections and vaccinations certifications to patients who did not want the jab, and she has said that Giorgi was one of her patients.

"Shortly before the beginning of summer, she had come asking for the possibility of obtaining false proof of all the mandatory vaccines, as well as the COVID vaccine," Grillone was quoted by Corriere del Veneto.

"I can confirm with absolute certainty that none of the vaccines against the Giorgi family have actually been administered."

Vaccination against COVID-19 was a requirement to enter the country during last year's Australian Open, leading to the high-profile deportation of nine-time winner and then-men's singles world number one Novak Djokovic of Serbia.

Giorgi admitted that she had received one of her COVID-19 jabs from Grillone, but insisted she was eligible to enter Australia last year.

"I just did all my vaccination in different places, so the trouble is hers, not me," the world number 70 said.

"So with that, I’m very calm.

"Of course, if not, I couldn’t come here and play this tennis, I think."

Giorgi did not explicitly clarify whether she had used documents provided by Grillone to enter Australia for last year's Grand Slam, but declared "I did everything what they ask, the Australia Government".

Her father Sergio Giorgi took issue with the line of questioning in the press conference, commenting: "Unbelievable, no questions about tennis."

Speaking before this year's tournament, Tennis Australia chief executive Craig Tiley said he did not know the details of the allegations, but it was a case to be settled by the relevant authorities.

"I think there's still a lot to be uncovered on that and I think that's going to be ultimately up to their family and the relevant authorities including the [Women's Tennis Association] Tour," Tiley said.

"I don’t really know any further detail."

The Department of Home Affairs has declined to comment on Giorgi’s case due to privacy constraints, according to Melbourne-based newspaper The Age.

Giorgi, competing in her 10th consecutive Australian Open, won her match against Pavlyuchenkova 6-0, 6-1, and is set to play Slovakia's Anna Karolína Schmiedlová in the second round.

She equalled her best performance at the Australian Open by reaching the third round last year before losing to the eventual winner Ashleigh Barty of Australia.

The vaccination requirement has been dropped by the Australian Government for this year's tournament

Inoculations proved a contentious issues on the Association of Tennis Professionals and WTA Tours, with several players reluctant to get their jabs and Djokovic insisting he was prepared to miss more Grand Slams instead of being vaccinated,