The man who was caught on camera snatching a hat off a young boy at the US Open has said he made a huge mistake after footage of the incident went viral.
Piotr Szczerek, a Polish chief executive of a paving firm, stated he was convinced tennis star Kamil Majchrzak had been passing his hat in my direction.
I know I did something that seemed like consciously collecting a memento from a child, he wrote in a statement. This wasn't my intention, but it doesn't change the fact that I hurt the boy and disappointed the fans. The video, taken during Majchrzak's match, showed the athlete offering his cap to a child before Szczerek appeared to take it.
Versions of the clip were shared widely on social media, prompting harsh criticism of Mr Szczerek's actions. The CEO wrote on social media on Monday: I would like to unequivocally apologise to the injured boy, his family, and all the fans and the player himself. He would also reveal he had given the hat back to the boy, hoping it had partially repaired the damage that was done.
Majchrzak, who had just won his match against Russian ninth seed Karen Khachanov, described the situation as some kind of confusion. He noted that during the intense moment, he was excited and tired, which led to a misunderstanding. Fortunately, the tennis star later reunited with the boy, sharing moments of gifting him a new cap and other merchandise on Instagram.
Majchrzak, ranked 76th in men’s singles, had a remarkable match but faced injury issues that forced him to retire in the subsequent round.
