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‘Deutschland, Deutschland Über Alles’ Sung at Pro Tennis Event

The USTA has apologized to the German team after a singer belted out an outdated, Nazi-era version of the German national anthem

by
Jonathan Zalman
February 13, 2017
Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Andrea Petkovic of Germany reacts during the Ladies Singles first round match against Nao Hibino of Japan on day two of Wimbledon in London, England, June 28, 2016. Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Andrea Petkovic of Germany reacts during the Ladies Singles first round match against Nao Hibino of Japan on day two of Wimbledon in London, England, June 28, 2016. Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

A professional women’s tennis event got off to a weird and shocking start over the weekend in Hawaii, when a local opera singer took the mic to sing the German national anthem for one of the competitors, Andrea Petkovic. But instead of singing an updated version of the song, he sang an outdated stanza last used by the Nazis, “Deutschland, Deutschland über alles,” or “Germany, Germany above all else.”

“I have never felt so disrespected in my life,” Petkovic told Yahoo! a reporter on Saturday. “It was an absolute effrontery and insolence of the very worst kind.” Petkovic would go on to lose her match against American Alison Riske. U.S. Tennis Association president did immediately apologize the German team captain, then the USTA issued an apology, dubbed by Deadspin as “weak-ass“—an assessment I am inclined to agree with.

Jonathan Zalman is a writer and teacher based in Brooklyn.