Piotr Szczerek, the man who has attracted fury online after he stole a US Open player’s hat meant for a young fan, has finally issued a grovelling apology.
Internet sleuths unmasked the millionaire businessman behind Polish paving company Drogbruk in recent days after a viral video showed him swiping the memento intended for a child, known as Brock, by tennis star Kamil Majchrzak.
Posted on his company’s Instagram account, Szczerek said in a lengthy statement he made ‘a huge mistake’ and revealed he has since given the hat back to Brock.
Szczerek, who has turned off comments on the post ‘out of concern for my family’, wrote: ‘Due to the situation that occurred during Kamil Majchrzak’s match at the US Open, I would like to unequivocally apologize 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 the 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,’ he continued. ‘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.
‘Therefore, I will be even more actively involved in initiatives supporting children and young people and in actions against violence and hate. I believe that only through actions can I rebuild lost trust.’
The ugly scene unfolded moments after Polish player Majchrzak went to the crowd after the biggest win of his career.
The 29-year-old defeated ninth seed Karen Khachanov in a marathon five-set thriller on Thursday – and then was filmed removing his cap and trying to hand it to the excited schoolboy in the crowd on Court 11.
But in a clip that sparked widespread outrage online, Szczerek was standing next to the awestruck boy and reached out, grabbed the autographed hat and stuffed it into his bag.
That left the youngster looking crestfallen and asking, ‘What are you doing?’ as Majchrzak walked away, unaware of what had just happened.
Majchrzak has since confirmed to the New York Post that Szczerek is the man in the video, and revealed he sponsors his tennis federation in Poland, adding there was ‘Obviously it was some kind of confusion’ over the incident.
Online vigilantes named Mr Szczerek – who heads up paving firm Drogbruk – as the person dubbed the ‘most hated man on the internet’ and hit out at his behavior.
‘Only an ordinary idiot and a jerk could snatch a hat from a child’s hands,’ one person wrote about alleged cap-snatcher Szczerek online.
Another raged: ‘If the company’s president so unscrupulously stole a child’s hat, if I were a customer, I would no longer use his services.’
While a third added: ‘That is called stealing property that doesn’t belong to you, and that is no man a coward, a bully, and a cheat taking from a child?? New low.’
Szczerek is an amateur competitive tennis player who was introduced to the sport by his wife Anna, according to Polish news outlet Tenis Magazyn.
The married couple are understood to have a private tennis court at their home in Kalisz, Poland, where they once hosted Urszula Radwanska, a retired Polish tennis ace.
Since taking up tennis, Szczerek has risen to the second division of the amateur Kalisz Tennis Association.
His company – which was founded in 1999 and has its HQ Błaszki about 155 miles west of Warsaw – reportedly sponsors a number of local sports programmes as well as rising young tennis players.
It is understood he had sponsored Poland’s tennis federation.
Describing how it unfolded, Majchrzak said: ‘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.
‘I had like a dead look if you know what I mean. I’m sure the guy was also acting in the moment of heat, in the moment of emotions.’
Majchrzak was reunited with Brock at Flushing Meadows on Saturday and a video posted on the player’s Instagram account showed them shaking hands and talking.
He looked to have a bag of merchandise with him that he handed over to the young boy before they posed for a picture together.
Majchrzak’s caption read: ‘Hello World, Together with Brock we wish you a great day!’
Unfortunately, Majchrzak’s day quickly went downhill as he was forced to retire from his third round match against Leandro Riedi due to injury. He was trailing 5-3 in the first set.
