When German tennis player Andrea Petkovic realized what she was hearing, she considered walking off the court.
The problem wasn’t a persistent heckler at the Fed Cup quarterfinal this weekend between Germany and the United States. It was far worse than that.
An outdated stanza of the German national anthem, one that is associated with the Nazi regime, was accidentally sung during the opening ceremonies in Hawaii.
“I thought it was the epitome of ignorance, and I’ve never felt more disrespected in my whole life, let alone in Fed Cup, and I’ve played Fed Cup for 13 years now, and it is the worst thing that has ever happened to me,” Petkovic said after the gaffe.
The unwelcome reminder of Germany’s fascist past, so different from today’s socially liberal, refugee-embracing country, clearly rattled Petkovic — and it might have shown in her play. The former World No. 9, a 2014 French Open semifinalist, fell to the smaller, less-accomplished Alison Riske 7-6, 6-2 in the first match of the best-of-five series.
The long-ago-excised verse that was included in the anthem performance translates to “Germany, Germany, above all, above all in the world,” a line that Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime embraced in the 1930s and ’40s.
The United States Tennis Association, which was in charge of organizing the Fed Cup quarterfinal, apologized for the mistake.
“In no way did we mean any disrespect,” the USTA said in a statement. “This mistake will not occur again, and the correct anthem will be performed for the remainder of this first-round tie.”
“As it was happening, obviously, we have no idea,” Riske added after the match. “But news got around to us, and it’s extremely unfortunate. We have nothing but respect for the German team and obviously that will not happen again.”
The normally ebullient Petkovic, known for her “Petko Dance” after victories, later struck a conciliatory note, writing on Twitter: “It was a mistake for which the Americans apologized to us. And again, it’s not the worst that ever happened to me in my LIFE. But it is the worst that happened to me in my Fed Cup life.”
Fed Cup is women’s tennis’ annual national-team competition. The Czech Republic is the three-time defending champions. The United States hasn’t won the title since 2000, Germany since 1992.
This report includes material provided by The Associated Press.
— Douglas Perry
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