CEO apologises after snatching young fan’s hat from Polish tennis star at US Open

Dubai: Another CEO has come under fire after snatching a hat from a young boy at the US Open, in a moment captured on camera.

Polish tennis star Kamil Majchrzak was signing autographs and handed his cap to the child, but Polish CEO Piotr Szczerek quickly grabbed it and placed it in his wife’s bag. He has now issued an apology, admitting he made a “grave mistake” in a public statement.

It did not take long for internet sleuths to identify Szczerek, the CEO and founder of paving company Drog-Bruk (the official statement was published on the company website).

His company was subsequently flooded with one-star reviews, and his social media accounts have since been deactivated.

In his statement, Szczerek backtracked slightly, claiming he believed the tennis player was handing the cap to him. However, the video suggests otherwise. He added that he “was not deliberately taking the cap away from the child, but it doesn’t change the fact that I hurt the boy and disappointed the fans.”

The video, filmed during Majchrzak's match on Thursday, shows the tennis player offering his cap to a child before Szczerek appears to take it. Versions of the clip were widely shared on social media and drew sharp criticism of Szczerek’s actions.

Majchrzak, 29, who had just won his match against Russian tennis player Karen Khachanov when the incident occurred, told the BBC he believed he “did what most athletes would do in this kind of situation,” adding that he hoped the boy and his family “had a great day.”

In the original video taken after his victory, Majchrzak did not appear to notice Szczerek taking the hat and continued signing items for other fans.

In a heartwarming conclusion, the tennis player later reunited with the boy, who had been left heartbroken by the incident. In a video shared online, Majchrzak provided the boy with a bag of tennis merchandise. They then posed for a photo together, with the caption: “Hello World, Together with Brock we wish you a great day!”