US Open fan sang Hitler ‘anthem,’ German player Zverev says

A fan was booted from a U.S. Open match early Tuesday morning after German player Alexander Zverev complained the man hurled Nazi slurs at him.

Zverev, the No. 12 player in the world, was serving at 2-2 in the fourth set of his fourth-round match against No. 6 Jannik Sinner when he went to the chair umpire and complained about the fan, who was sitting nearby.

“He just said the most famous Hitler phrase there is in this world,” Zverev told James Keothavong. “It’s not acceptable.”

The fan was identified by spectators, and security removed him from the venue.

“A disparaging remark was directed toward Alexander Zverev,” U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) spokesman Chris Widmaier said in a statement. “The fan was identified and escorted from the stadium.”

Zverev — who went on to win 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 — told reporters after the match that he’s had fans make offensive remarks directed at him before, but not ones invoking Hitler.

“He started singing the anthem of Hitler that was back in the day. It was ‘Deutschland über alles’ and it was a bit too much,” he said.

The start of the song: “Deutschland, Deutschland uber alles, uber alles in der Welt” translates to “Germany, Germany, above all, above all in the world.”

The modern version has replaced that refrain, which is now viewed as Nazi propaganda and offensive to modern-day Germans.

The USTA had to apologize in 2017 after playing the outdated version of Germany’s national anthem before the Fed Cup, now known as the Billie Jean King Cup, during opening ceremonies in Hawaii.

That 2017 incident prompted one German player to call it the “the epitome of ignorance” and to say she had “never felt more disrespected in my whole life.”

Zverev will next face world No. 1 and defending U.S. Open champion Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals Wednesday.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.