Hat-stealing CEO releases statement about US Open incident
The 2025 US Open has not been short on viral moments.
Although tennis should be the primary focus of the American Grand Slam, the championship has not been without incident.
LISTEN: Mom shares horrific story of injury caused by child
From photographers walking onto the court and meltdowns to adorable kids interacting with the stars, the US Open has been providing viral moment after moment.
The most recent one has been the most dramatic, resulting in severe backlash.
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Social media users lost it on 28 August after a video showed a tennis fan and US Open attendee acting unsportsmanlike.
Polish player Kamil Majchrzak defeated ninth seed Karen Khachanov and, as most players do after a match, proceeded to autograph some items for fans.
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After signing a few items, Majchrzak takes his cap off and hands it to a young fan right before him.
Unfortunately, a man quickly snapped up the cap, and the child was seen distraught and pleading for the man to give him the cap.
Watch the video below:
A man grabs Kamil Majchrzak's hat that the player wanted to give to a kid. Then quickly hides it in his wifes bag
byu/kacperp intennis
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The video quickly started circulating online, and viewers were not impressed.
Internet sleuths promptly found who the man was and identified him as Piotr Szczerek, co-founder and CEO of Drogbruk, a Polish paving and landscaping firm.
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The video went on to rack up millions of views on various social media platforms, and users criticised Szczerek for his "entitled" and "scumbag" behaviour, calling him every name in the book.
Piotr Szczerek, the entitled CEO who snatched a hat from a kid at the US Open, proves that money can't buy class or common decency, hope the backlash hits harder than that tennis ball.
— Richard Angwin (@RichardAngwin) August 31, 2025
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The moment gained so much traction that people took to Gowork.pl, a Polish job review site, to review bomb the CEO's business.
As for the boy who was left disappointed, Kamil Majchrzak put out an appeal on Instagram asking people to help locate the boy named Brock.
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On Sunday, 31 August, Majchrzak met the boy in person, and the two shared a heartwarming moment with Brock receiving a new cap and memorabilia.
Kamil Majchrzak meeting the young boy who had the hat taken from him the other day at the US Open.
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 30, 2025
A happy ending… this is what it’s all about.
Protect this man at all costs. 🥹 pic.twitter.com/EAaJVltyM6
According to various sources, Szczerek allegedly posted a comment on Gowork.pl in response to the incident as the video gained traction.
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The comment, in which the CEO doubled down on his actions and did not apologise, was deleted shortly after it had been posted.
You can read the alleged comment below:
HE'S DOUBLING DOWN! lol
— Dandy Jim (@DandyJim_) August 30, 2025
TRANSLATION:
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The recent incident at the tennis match caused a disproportionate online uproar. It's all about the famous hat, of course. Yes, I took it. Yes, I did it quickly. But as I've always said, life is about first come, first… pic.twitter.com/nNUZ42Ebey
Szczerek has now released an official statement on his company's Instagram.
The translated caption reads: "Due to the situation that occurred during Kamil Majchrzak's match at the US Open, I would like to unequivocally apologise to the injured boy, his family, all the fans, and the player himself. I made a grave mistake. In the midst of emotion, amidst the crowd's celebration after my victory, I was convinced that the tennis player was passing the cap to me – for my sons, who had previously asked for autographs. This mistaken belief caused me to instinctively reach out.
Today I know that I did something that looked like I deliberately took a souvenir from a child. It wasn't my intention, but that doesn't change the fact that I hurt the boy and disappointed the fans. The cap was given to the boy, and an apology is due to the family. I hope that I have at least partially repaired the harm.
I also want to make it clear: neither I, my wife, nor my sons commented on this situation on social media or on any website. We did not use the services of any law firm in this regard. All alleged statements appearing online are not ours.
For years, my wife and I have been involved in helping children and young athletes, but this situation has shown me that one moment of inattention can undo years of work and support. This is a painful but necessary lesson in humility for me."
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Image: Reddit/r/tennis