A businessman who snatched a cap being given to a young fan by tennis player Kamil Majchrzak at the US Open has offered a “sincere apology” for his actions and said he has returned it.
Piotr Szczerek said he believed Majchrzak was handing the cap to him, and it had caused him to “instinctively reach out”.
Footage circulating online showed 29-year-old Polish player Majchrzak signing autographs for fans at Flushing Meadows in New York after beating Russia’s Karen Khachanov last Thursday.
But as he gave his cap to a boy, it was snatched by Szczerek.
Majchrzak later tracked down the boy and presented him with a new cap and a goodie bag.
After a backlash on social media, Szczerek, who is reported to be the head of a Polish paving firm, wrote on Instagram: “Due to the situation that occurred during Kamil Majchrzak’s match at the US Open, I would like to offer my sincere apology to the injured boy, his family, all the fans, and the player himself.
“In the midst of the excitement and celebration after my victory, I believed the tennis player was handing his cap to me – for my sons, who had previously asked for autographs.
“This mistaken belief caused me to instinctively reach out.
“Today, I know I did something that seemed like deliberately taking a souvenir from a child. It wasn’t my intention, but that doesn’t change the fact that I hurt the boy and disappointed the fans.”
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He added that he and his wife helped children and young athletes, but admitted the incident at the US Open had been “a painful but necessary lesson in humility”.
