Apparently, for some tennis fans, taking pro memorabilia from kids is like taking candy from a baby. No, literally. Because after Kamil Majchrzak attempted to hand a signed hat to a kid named Brock at the U.S. Open, it took all of two seconds for another attendee, an executive named Piotr Szczerek, to swoop in and snatch it away. He then doubled down on his actions, according to Fortune.
Later, the millionaire CEO, who runs the Polish paving company Drogbruk, issued an official apology for his actions. In some ways, the damage was done. And, it didn’t help that his initial response involved saying “first come, first served.” Was that a tennis pun? Maybe. Because, at least at first, Szczerek totally missed the mark on why he should actually be sorry.
The man who stole the tennis hat finally apologized.
TERRIBLE! Pro tennis player attempts to give a hat to a child at the US Open. An adult steps in and vultures it. Who does this?
— Don Lewis (@DonLew87) August 29, 2025
Should there be any punishment? pic.twitter.com/Fgzf591jLa
In case you missed the U.S. Open moment heard around the world, er, Internet, after Majchrzak signed a hat and began to hand it to Brock, Szczerek quickly grabbed it and put it in a bag that a woman with him held. A clip of the incident made the rounds online and, unsurprisingly, people were mad. The Internet is a place where almost everyone is quick to insult or make fun of other people. But when it comes to kids, particularly sports fans, you just don’t mess with them and their core memories.
When Szczerek initially addressed the controversy, he said, per Fortune, “Yes, I took it. Yes, I did it quickly. But as I’ve always said, life is first come, first served. In the end, chin up, hats off, less venom, more sportsmanship.”
Then, on Sept. 2, 2025, he posted a statement on Facebook to formally apologize for his actions.
In the lengthy statements Szczerek wrote, “I take full responsibility for my extremely poor judgment and hurtful actions. It was never my intent to steal away a prized memento from the young fan. I became caught up in the heat of the moment and the joy of the victory, and I believed Majchrzak was handing a hat to me to give to my sons, who had previously asked for autographs. Regardless of what I believed was happening, the actions I took hurt the young boy and disappointed the fans.”
He added that he sent the hat to the young boy, returning it to who many thought was the rightful recipient. Although Szczerek wrote that he thought the tennis pro was giving the hat to him, the footage says otherwise, so there’s that.
But the Internet came for him first.
In the clip, which was shared across social media, Szczerek literally snatches the hat away from the young boy. When someone shared the clip on X (formerly Twitter), it was hard for other users not to immediately come for Szczerek in the comments.
“They stole a cap that was gifted by Kamil Majchrzak,” one user commented, about Szczerek and his wife. “What an absolute embarrassment!”
Someone else wrote, “Both shouldn’t be allowed to enter again to the US Open or any tennis tournament ever. What a couple!”
Others came for his company, and urged others to be aware of what companies Szczerek runs, should they want to avoid them completely.
“Products of his company are being made of concrete, and it seems to me that his mind is concrete as well,” someone commented on X. “I feel truly proud of Polish tennis players and highly ashamed of his behavior in public.”
