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By Marni Rose McFall
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A Polish millionaire businessman has been accused of snatching a signed tennis player's cap from a child at the U.S. Open last week.
Piotr Szczerek, the CEO of the Polish paving company Drogbruk, was named on social media as the man seen grabbing the souvenir in a video that went viral over the weekend.
Newsweek has reached out to Szczerek through his company via email for comment.
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Why It Matters
The clip has been shared widely across social media and is the latest viral social media moment involving a CEO that have prompted the public to respond with impassioned outrage.
In July a clip of Andy Byron, CEO of software development business Astronomer, which appeared to catch him canoodling with the firm's HR officer, Kristin Cabot, went viral online. Both Byron and Cabot stepped down following the incident. The fallout reflects the kind of public scrutiny that can be directed at people at the center of viral online videos.
What To Know
The incident at the U.S. Open occurred after Poland's Kamil Majchrzak defeated Russia's Karen Khachanov in the second round in New York on Thursday. Footage seemingly captures the businessman taking the hat from the child and placing it into a bag, while the youngster protested.
In a post shared on Facebook earlier today, Szczerek apologized over the incident. The post read in part: "In connection with the situation that happened during Kamil Majchrzak's match at the US Open, I would like to unequivocally apologize to the injured boy, his family, as well as all the fans and the player himself. I have made a huge mistake. Emotionally, in the crowd cheering after the victory, I was convinced that the tennis player was passing his hat in my direction - for my sons who had asked for autographs earlier."
Szczerek continued, adding: "Today I know I did something that seemed like consciously collecting a memento from a child. This wasn't my intention, but it doesn't change the fact that I hurt the boy and disappointed the fans."
Prior to this apology being released online, a false apology attributed to Szczerek had been circulating online.
The New York Post previously reported that Majchrzak had confirmed Szczerek's identity to them.
"Obviously it was some kind of confusion," the tennis pro said, adding that Szczerek sponsors the Polish Tennis Association.
The millionaire CEO has since attempted to make amends with the boy and his family, Majchrzak said.
Szczerek is an amateur tennis player and competes in a local tennis league in Poland, The Times reported.
A 2021 article from the Polish outlet Tenis Magazyn reported that Szczerek and his wife Anna founded the company Drogbruk in 1999, and it is headquartered in Blaszki, Poland.
The Szczereks play competitive doubles together and have a private tennis court in their home in Kalisz, Poland, Tenis Magazyn reported.
The incident has been met with widespread backlash, and posts criticizing Szczerek have received tens of thousands of views online.
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What People Are Saying
Piotr Szczerek in a post on Facebook: "I know I did something that seemed like consciously collecting a memento from a child. This wasn't my intention, but it doesn't change the fact that I hurt the boy and disappointed the fans. The hat was given to the boy, and apologies to the family. I hope I've at least partially repaired the damage that was done. I also want to make it clear, neither myself, nor my wife, nor my sons have commented on this situation. On social media as well as on any portal. We have not used the services of any law firm in this regard."
He added that no other statements online commenting on the situation had been written by him or his family.
@esjesjesj in a post on X viewed over 80,000 times: "Cool that just every CEO is a raging sociopath. Love the world we've created for ourselves."
@HaterReport_ on X in a post viewed over 700,000 times: "Yeah no doubt about it now. This is actually a terrible human being."
@DC_Draino in a post on X viewed over 140,000 times: "I like that people are roasting this sleazy guy Multimillionaires like him can go buy signed memorabilia if they want it that badly Little kids can't Shame on grown adults who steal lifetime memories from kids at sporting events."
What's Next
The saga has ended on a brighter note for the boy involved, however, as Majchrzak tracked him down and gifted him a signed cap.
A video posted Saturday to Majchrzak's Instagram stories shows him reuniting with the young fan, who he said was named Brock, and his family.
Update 09/01/25, 08:54 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to include a statement shared online by Piotr Szczerek.
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