These sources "confirmed the name" of de Minaur to AFP, adding that other sportsmen and public figures were on the list of possible buyers of these fake health passes.
De Minaur participated in January at the Australian Open, where vaccination was compulsory, which had notably earned world No.1 Novak Djokovic to be excluded from the tournament and expelled from the country.
Spanish police this week completed the second phase of Operation Jenner, launched in January against the Spanish branch of an organization that provided falsified health passes and PCR tests through instant messaging apps, said Spanish law enforcement in a statement.
The investigation confirmed that the leaders of this organization were in France.
In total, eleven people were arrested for "forgery or use of forgery" and "2,200 people are targeted for having obtained their health pass fraudulently".
This network charged 50 euros for the false PCR test.
To obtain a fake health pass, customers had two options: either pay "about 200 euros" and simply obtain the "fraudulent document", or, for customers with "higher purchasing power", "pay 1,000 euros and be registered on the list of individuals with a complete vaccination schedule".
According to the Spanish police, to access this database, the network would have convinced a person working in the medical sector and the investigation also targets a possible theft of access codes to this list.
Australian Alex de Minaur during the Rotterdam tournament, February 11, 2022 Sander Koning ANP / AFP / Archives
Payments were made by cryptocurrencies “via accounts opened in third countries”.
Once the payment was received, customers obtained a QR code that showed a fake complete vaccination schedule.
"They could then obtain the health pass within two days, in which they were registered as having received two or three doses of vaccine", detailed the Spanish police.
The police operation is still ongoing and the last phase will focus on "the arrest of the main members of the organization".
© 2022 AFP