The USTA has apologized to Germany for performing the antiquated first verse of that country’s national anthem—the “Deutschland, Deutschland Über Alles” one, last used by the Nazis—before yesterday’s Fed Cup match between German Andrea Petkovic and American Alison Riske.


Petkovic later told reporters “I have never felt so disrespected in my life, it was an absolute effrontery and insolence, of the very worst kind [...] We’re in 2017 — something like this should not happen in America. Jule Görges immediately began to howl when she heard the singer’s first words. And I also had tears in my eyes and was angry.”

A visibly upset Petkovic lost the match 7-6 (12-10), 6-2. Germany’s team captain Barbara Rittner told reporters she considered ripping the microphone away from the singer. The USTA responded with a weak-ass apology:


How this happened remains a mystery. This isn’t exactly the obscure anthem of a lesser-known country; the singer—apparently named Will Kimball—who is clearly well-versed in German pronunciation, should have seen “Deutchland Deutschland Über Alles” and immediately raised a red flag. Simply obtaining sheet music with the outdated lyrics should seem to be a challenge.

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