Polish CEO apologizes after taking hat from young tennis fan at US Open
The Polish CEO who went viral for taking tennis player Kamil Majchrzak’s hat away from a child following a U.S. Open match said he is sorry “for his extremely poor judgement and hurtful actions.” Piotr Szczerek, CEO of Polish paving firm Drogbruk, said he thought Majchrzak was giving him the game-worn hat for his kids, “who had previously asked for autographs,” when he took it at the same time the little boy reached out for it.
Incident goes viral
Szczerek showed off the cap to his kids and put it in a bag as the little boy said, “What are you doing?”
Video of the incident went viral, and commenters criticized Szcerek’s actions.
CEO apologizes to young fan
“I would like to unequivocally apologize to the young boy, his family, all of the fans, and the player himself,” Szcerek wrote on social media. “It was never my intent to steal away a prized memento from the young fan. I became caught up in the heat of the moment and the joy of the victory.”
“Regardless of what I believed was happening, the actions I took hurt the young boy and disappointed fans,” Sczerek added.
Szczerek said he has since apologized to the young fan and his family and sent the hat to him.
“I hope, at least to a small extent, I was able to repair the harm caused,” Szczerek wrote.
Player makes it up to young fan
Majchrzak said he didn’t initially see Szcerek take the hat, but was later told about the incident and called on social media users to assist him in finding the fan. It worked, and the Polish tennis player met up with the young fan, named Brock, while giving him a new cap and swag bag. The two posted pictures together, which were shared on an Instagram story.
‘Lesson in humility’
“For years, my wife and I have been involved in supporting children and young athletes, but this incident has shown me that a moment of inattention can undo years of work and support,” Szcerek wrote. “It is a painful but necessary lesson in humility.”
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
