(Source: AP)Even before the first ball was hit in a high-octane Fed Cup quarterfinal between USA and Germany in Hawaii, there was controversy and plenty of embarrassing faces. The song was the official German anthem under the democratic Weimar Republic in the 1920s. “The USTA extends its sincerest apologies to the German Fed Cup team and all of its fans for the performance of an outdated national anthem prior to today’s Fed Cup competition,” the statement said. This mistake will not occur again, and the correct anthem will be perfrormed for the remainder of this first-round tie.”The USTA extends a sincere apology to the German Fed Cup team & fans 4 the outdated National Anthem. We have nothing but respect for the German team and obviously that will not happen again.”© The Indian Express Online Media Pvt Ltd

Source: Indian Express February 12, 2017 14:27 UTC