The Polish CEO who took tennis player Kamil Majchrzak’s hat from a young fan at the US Open has apologised on social media and says he has returned it.
Piotr Szczerek, founder of paving company Drog-Bruk, posted an apology on social media after a video of the incident went viral over the weekend.
The broadcast showed Szczerek grabbing the cap as Majchrzak handed it to a young boy in the stands after a second-round upset win over ninth seed Karen Khachanov.
Szczerek, who is from Poland, wrote on Facebook that he made a mistake thinking Majchrzak was giving him the hat for his sons, who had asked earlier for an autograph.
“I take full responsibility for my extremely poor judgement and hurtful actions,” he wrote.
The young fan was overjoyed as Majchrzak handed him his hat. (Supplied: Stan Sport)
But Szczerek ripped it from his hands and stashed it in his partner’s bag. (Supplied: Stan Sport)
“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 the fans.
“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.”
Just before the incident, Majchrzak shook hands with Szczerek in the stands and exchanged some words.
Kamil Majchrzak upset ninth seed Karen Khachanov but retired injured from his next match. (Getty Images: Sarah Stier)
The world number 76 then removed his black cap and handed it to the boy, who looked shocked and overjoyed as he reached for it, only for Szczerek to rip it away from him.
“No! What are you doing?” the boy was heard saying on the court microphones, as Szczerek turned away, ignored him and stashed the cap in his partner’s bag.
As the video did the rounds on social media, a statement purporting to be from Szczerek emerged, saying it was a case of “first come, first served” and “If you had been quicker, you would have had it”.
Szczerek said those comments and any others attributed to his wife or sons were fake, including claims they were looking at legal options over criticism on social media.
“All statements appearing online accredited to us were false and were not authored by us or our representatives,” he wrote.
“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.
“It is a painful but necessary lesson in humility.”
Majchrzak said on social media he reached out to the boy’s family and met with him to give him a new hat and take photos with him.
The 29-year-old, who is also from Poland, retired during his third-round match against Swiss qualifier Leandro Riedi, clutching at his left side and unable to complete the first set.
ABC/AP