Andrea Petkovic said she felt disrespected following the controversial anthem ©Getty Images

The United States Tennis Association (USTA) has been forced to apologise after a Nazi-era version of Germany's national anthem was played before the Fed Cup tie between the two nations in Hawaii.

A Hawaii soloist accidentally sung the words "Germany, Germany above all else" - a now obsolete verse of the anthem - instead of the correct "Unity and justice and freedom for the German fatherland" lyrics.

The verse was written long before the Nazis ruled Germany but has ties to Adolf Hitler's time at the head of the Government before and during the Second World War.

The incident occurred during a ceremony before American Alison Riske beat Germany's Andrea Petkovic 7-6, 6-2 to give the United States a 1-0 lead on the island of Maui.

Petkovic said she had "never felt more disrespected in my whole life" and described the wrong anthem being played as the "epitome of ignorance".

"I’ve played Fed Cup for 13 years now and it is the worst thing that has ever happened to me," the German, who was born in Bosnia, added. 

The USTA issued a quick apology following the incident, vowing to ensure the error would never happen again and that the right version of the anthem would be sung throughout the rest of the Fed Cup clash.

"The USTA extends its sincerest apologies to the German Fed Cup team and all of its fans for the performance of an outdated national anthem prior to today’s Fed Cup competition," the statement read.

"In no way did we mean any disrespect. 

"This mistake will not occur again, and the correct anthem will be performed for the remainder of this first-round tie."

Coco Vandeweghe was on the brink of giving the United States a 2-0 advantage as she was a set and a break up in her match against Julia Goerges before play was suspended due to rain.