Polish entrepreneur Piotr Szczerek has issued a public apology after being filmed snatching a souvenir cap from a young fan at the US Open, in an incident that quickly went viral.
The moment came in the aftermath of Kamil Majchrzak’s dramatic five-set victory in New York.
As the Polish player tossed his hat towards the crowd, a young supporter named Brock appeared to catch it, only for Szczerek to lean across and snatch it away.
The clip spread rapidly on social media, with outraged fans accusing him of robbing a child of a once-in-a-lifetime memento.
Initially, a series of fake statements circulated online from impersonator accounts, but Szczerek has now broken his silence on his verified Facebook page.
In a lengthy post, he admitted he had 'made a huge mistake' and confirmed the hat had since been returned to the boy.
“Due to the situation that happened during Kamil Majchrzak's match at the US Open, I would like to clearly apologise to the injured boy, his family, as well as all the fans and the player himself,” wrote Szczerek.
“In the emotions of the crowd rejoicing after the victory, I was convinced the tennis player tipped his hat in my direction – to my sons who had asked for autographs earlier.
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"The misconception caused me to pull out my hand. Today I know I did something that looked like a deliberate collection of the child's souvenir.”
He continued: “This was not my intention, but it doesn’t change the fact I hurt the boy and disappointed the fans.
"The hat was given to the boy, and I hope, at least partly, I have repaired the hurt that was done.”
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Kamil Majchrzak met young fan Brock after the footage from the US Open went viral
|The backlash has not been limited to social media.
Szczerek’s company, Drogbruk, a paving and construction firm, has been hit by a wave of negative online reviews.
Its Google rating has plummeted to 1.4 stars, while its Trustpilot page was forced to close 'due to media attention'.
Szczerek admitted the incident had been a 'lesson in humility,' adding: “For years, my wife and I have been engaged in helping children and young athletes, but this situation shows how one moment of disregard can ruin years of work and support.”
He also moved to clarify that his family had not issued any other statements through lawyers or on social media: “All alleged statements appearing online are not ours.”
Tennis star Majchrzak personally intervened after seeing the clip.
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| REUTERSAfter tracking down Brock and his family, the 29-year-old posted a photo of them together and described it as 'a very nice meeting.'
He added: “I wanted to meet the boy and his family and just try to make things right for him.”
Majchrzak crashed out of the US Open on Saturday, having been forced to withdraw from his match with Leandro Riedi due to injury.