A man who was filmed snatching a hat signed by Polish tennis star Kamil Majchrzak from a young boy at the US Open has apologised after sparking a furious backlash online.
Piotr Szczerek, the CEO of the Polish paving company Drogbruk, has been the centre of a social media storm after a video of him snatching the cap off the child at the US Open went viral over the weekend. The millionaire was seen stuffing the hat into his wife’s bag.
Mr Majchrzak told The Post: “Obviously, it was some kind of confusion.
“I was pointing, giving the hat, but I had a lot going on after my match, after being super tired and super excited for the win. I just missed it.”
What happened at the US Open?
Mr Majchrzak had just beaten Russia's Karen Khachanov in the second round of the competition when he signed the young fan’s cap, which was swiftly taken away.
After the incident went viral, the tennis star spoke out about the incident on Instagram, seeking help to find Brock, the young boy. The tennis star has now met with Brock and gifted the fan with a signed cap.
People stormed the internet to express their anger over the incident and hundreds have left negative reviews on Google, with the company now sitting at a 1.3-star rating.
Another said: “CEO has been publicly seen being malicious towards a child, and publicly confirming his actions, His behavior reflects his company values as he is the main representative. Do not do business with a boy who thinks he is a man.”
Who is Piotr Szczerek?
Mr Szczerek is the chief executive and co-founder of Drogbruk, a paving, fencing, and landscape company that he started in 1999 with his wife, Anna.
Polish left-wing MP Anita Kucharska-Dziedzic has named him the most well-known Polish businessman in a post on X.
She said: “Without a doubt, the most recognisable Polish businessman in the world. Billions of followers reached in a single day. Polish entrepreneurs will be struggling to recover from this image loss for years. Unfortunately!”
It is reported that Mr Szczerek and his wife are amateur tennis players who compete in doubles and are a sponsor of the Polish Tennis Association.
How has the CEO responded?
The businessman has deleted most of his social media accounts but posted an apology on his Facebook on Monday.
In the post, Mr Szczerek claimed he made “a huge mistake” but thought the tennis player was giving the hat to him.
“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,” the statement read.
"In emotions, in the crowd rejoicing after the victory, I was convinced the tennis player tips his hat in my direction - to my sons who have asked for autographs earlier.
"Today I know I did something that looked like a deliberate collection of the child's souvenir.
"This was not my intention, but it doesn't change the fact I hurt the boy and disappointed the fans.”
Several hoax apologies have circled the internet, which the CEO clarified had not come from him: "I also want to make it clear, neither myself, nor my wife, nor my sons have commented on this situation on social media as well as on any portal,” he said.
He said he had returned the hat and apologised to the family.
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