‘I have made a serious mistake,’ Polish CEO Piotr Szczerek said.
A Polish businessman who appeared to snatch a match-worn hat being handed to a young boy during the U.S. Open said he made a “serious mistake” and apologized.
The footage of Piotr Szczerek, CEO of the Polish paving stone company Drogbruk, taking the cap went viral across news channels and social media, diverting some attention from Kamil Majchrzak’s thrilling five-set upset against Russia’s Karen Khachanov on Aug. 28.
The hat was passed to the boy, who was also holding out a supersized tennis ball for the player to sign. Before the boy could react to take the cap, Szcerek snatched it from the player’s outstretched hand.
Szczerek said he regretted his “extremely poor judgment” and took full responsibility for his “hurtful actions.”
Majchrzak, who represents Poland, won the second round match 2-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-5, 7-6.
Szcerek said that he “became caught up in the heat of the moment” and “believed Majchrzak was handing a hat to me to give to my sons, who had previously asked for autographs.”
“In connection with the incident that occurred during Kamill Majchrzak’s match at the US Open, I would like to unequivocally apologize to the young boy, his family, all the fans, and the player himself,” Szczerek said in a social media post.
“I have made a serious mistake,” Szczerek said in another post.
After the footage went viral, and fabricated statements attributed to him and his wife circulated on the internet, his fellow Poles went on a Polish job listing website to criticize him for his actions.
“Regardless of what I believed was happening, the actions I took hurt the young boy and disappointed the fans,” he said. “I have sent the hat back to the boy and extended my sincere apologies to his family. I hope, at least to a small extent, I was able to repair the harm I caused.”
Szcerek said in his statement that he had not issued any other comments about the incident on social media or elsewhere after reports circulated of remarks falsely attributed to him claiming he had filed a lawsuit.
“We did not hire any law firm regarding this matter. All statements appearing online accredited to us were false and were not authored by us or our representatives,” Szczerek said.
“This incident has shown me that a moment of inattention can undo years of work and support. It is a painful but necessary lesson in humility. Going forward, I will engage even more actively in initiatives that support children and youth, and I will take actions against violence and hate. I believe that only through actions can I rebuild the trust I have lost.”
After the incident, Majchrzak was able to track down the boy and meet him. Majchrzak told media outlets that the situation was due to “some kind of confusion.”
Majchrzak was forced to retire in the fourth set of his third-round match against Leandro Riedi of Switzerland on Aug. 30 due to an undisclosed injury, ending his run in the tournament.
His best Grand Slam performance came earlier in 2025 at Wimbledon, where the 29-year-old reached the fourth round.
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