The Polish businessman who went viral for stealing a hat from a child at the 2025 US Open has apologized for his actions.
Peter Szczerk, who was caught on camera snatching a hat given to a young fan by Polish tennis player Kamil Majchrzak on Thursday, August 29, is calling his behavior “a grave mistake.”
In a statement posted to his company’s Instagram account on Monday, September 1, Szczerk said he assumed the hat was being given to his sons who had previously asked Majchrzak, 29, for autographs.
“Today I know that I did something that looked like I deliberately took a souvenir from a child,” Szczerk wrote. “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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Szczerk is the CEO of Drogbruk, which specializes in paving and landscaping solutions in Poland.
“The cap was given to the boy, and an apology is due to the family,” Szczerk continued. “I hope that I have at least partially repaired the harm.”
A fake apology from Szczerk was circulated on Sunday, August 31, which Szczerk insisted was not from him.
“I also want to make it clear: neither I, my wife, nor my sons commented on this situation on social media or on any website,” he explained. “We did not use the services of any law firm in this regard. All alleged statements appearing online are not ours.”
Szczerk said that he and his wife have been “involved in helping children and young athletes” for years, but acknowledged the hat snatching incident has eroded all of that goodwill.
“This situation has shown me that one moment of inattention can undo years of work and support,” he said. “This is a painful but necessary lesson in humility for me. Therefore, I will be even more actively involved in initiatives supporting children and young people and in actions against violence and hate. I believe that only through actions can I rebuild lost trust.”
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Szczerk disabled comments on his Instagram post “out of concern for my family.”
After the clip of Szczerk stealing the hat went viral, the tennis player at the center of the incident managed to get in touch with the boy, whose name is Brock.
“Today after warm up, I had a nice meeting,” Majchrzak posted via his Instagram Story on Saturday, August, showing off he and the boy meeting and exchanging a new hat on the US Open grounds.
Majchrzak wrote in another Instagram Story, “Hello world, together with Brock, we wish you a great day.”
