SportsTennis

Polish millionaire from viral US Open hat-snatching video finally apologizes

Preston Hodgkinson
Preston Hodgkinson
|
Sep 1 2025, 8:43 pm
Polish millionaire from viral US Open hat-snatching video finally apologizes
@Eurosport_PL/X

A Polish millionaire has been at the centre of an international scandal after snatching a hat from a child following a US Open match last week.

Piotr Szczerek, the CEO of a Polish paving company, has been under fire ever since he was caught on video stealing a hat worn by Polish tennis player Kamil Majchrzak from a kid after a match last Thursday. The video went viral and immediately caused a massive backlash, allowing concerned onlookers to identify Szczerek.

Following the incident, an alleged statement appeared online claiming to be from Szczerek that doubled down on his actions, saying that he taught the young boy a life lesson and threatened legal action against those criticizing him. That also drew quite a bit of criticism, but the authenticity of that statement has been questioned.

Four days after the hat-snatching occurred, Szczerek made an official statement on his company’s Facebook page where he apologized. He says that he believed Majchrzak was giving the hat to him to give to his sons.

“I would like to unequivocally apologize to the young boy, his family, all the fans, and the player himself,” Szczerek wrote. “I take full responsibility for my extremely poor judgment and harmful actions. It was never my intent to steal away a prized memento from a young fan.

“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.”

Szczerek also made clear that he and his family did not make any other statements regarding the manner, saying that “all statements appearing online accredited to us were false and were not authored by us or our representatives.”

Luckily, this story does have a happy ending for the boy. Upon hearing about the incident, Majchrzak was able to track him down for a meet-and-greet and finally get him a hat. The two met on Saturday.

This isn’t the first time a fan has been criticized for stealing a memento from a young fan, but it may have been one of the most high-profile. Next time, it’s probably a good idea to just let the kid get the piece of memorabilia.

 

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