The man who shamelessly took a player’s hat from a young fan at the US Open has written an apology on social media amid massive backlash.
Tennis player Kamil Majchrzak was signing autographs after his second round win over Karen Khachanov, before trying to hand his hat over to a young boy.
The hat was quickly snatched by an older man, who has now been identified as a Polish millionaire CEO, Piotr Szczerek.
Fans on the internet shared their disgust as the video of the incident went viral over the weekend.
Since then, Majchrzak was able to give the little boy another hat, but that did not stop fans from attacking the culprit online.
Hat thief offers an apology
Szczerek broke silence on Monday, releasing an apology via a post on Facebook.
He said: “Due to the situation that occurred during Kamil Majchrzak’s match at the US Open, I would like to unequivocally apologise to the injured boy, his family, all the fans, and the player himself.
“I made a grave mistake. In the midst of emotion, amidst the crowd’s celebration after my victory, I was convinced that the tennis player was passing the cap to me – for my sons, who had previously asked for autographs. This mistaken belief caused me to instinctively reach out.
“Today I know that I did something that looked like I deliberately took 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.
“The cap was given to the boy, and an apology is due to the family. I hope that I have at least partially repaired the harm. 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.
“We did not use the services of any law firm in this regard. All alleged statements appearing online are not ours.
“For years, my wife and I have been involved in helping children and young athletes, but this situation has shown me that one moment of inattention can undo years of work and support. 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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