A Polish millionaire has issued a grovelling apology after snatching a commemorative cap from a young boy at the US Open. The cap had been handed to the child by tennis player Kamil Majchrzak following his five-set victory over ninth seed Karen Khachanov.
Video footage of the incident showed the boy looking visibly upset and asking, 'What are you doing?' as the man, identified as businessman Piotr Szczerek, took the cap and put it in his bag. Majchrzak, unaware of the altercation, had already walked away.
In a Facebook post on Monday, Szczerek wrote: 'I made a grave mistake. In the midst of emotion, I was convinced the tennis player was passing the cap to me – for my sons, who had previously asked for autographs.' He said he had since returned the cap and apologised to the boy, his family, and the player.
Majchrzak had used social media to track down the young fan, named only as Brock. The two were later pictured together, with Majchrzak posting: 'Hello World, Together with Brock we wish you a great day!'
Szczerek, who has previously donated to Polish tennis, described the incident as 'a needed lesson in humility' and expressed hope that he could begin to restore trust through his actions.
