Polish businessman Piotr Szczerek faced intense backlash after seizing a tennis player's cap from a young boy at Thursday's US Open match, 7NEWS reported. As chief executive of DrogBruk, a prominent paving company, Szczerek was filmed grabbing the match-worn hat from Polish tennis star Kamil Majchrzak, who had intended it for a young fan. The incident, following Majchrzak's thrilling victory, ignited widespread anger online and in the tennis community.
On Thursday, Majchrzak achieved a stunning upset, overcoming No. 9 seed Karen Khachanov 2-6, 6-7 (7-4), 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 (7-5), 7NEWS reported. Post-match, a young fan named Brock awaited an autograph on his large tennis ball. Majchrzak offered his cap instead, but Szczerek snatched it, placing it in his wife's bag as the boy protested, 7NEWS noted. "What are you doing?" the boy cried out, visibly distressed, while Szczerek seemed to chuckle, per 7NEWS. Despite the boy's pleas, the adults ignored him, handing him a pen instead.
The incident fueled a viral outcry, with fans and the public slamming Szczerek. On Polish job platform Gowork.pl, users called him a "common thief," "sack of garbage," "primitive scammer," and "shameful jerk," 7NEWS reported. One user stated, "Only an ordinary idiot and a jerk could snatch a hat from a child's hands," as quoted by 7NEWS. Szczerek subsequently shut down his social media accounts amid the criticism.
This is going to be worse than going to a Cold Play concert and cheating on your partners, who steals a cap off a child at the tennis 🤦♂️
Piotr Szczerek, your life is about to change, not for the better 💩pic.twitter.com/VsunfKEwV9
— Aussie Psycho (@AussiePsycho666) August 30, 2025
Founded in 1999 by Szczerek and his wife, DrogBruk has earned praise as a leader in Poland's paving industry, 7NEWS noted. Yet, Szczerek's actions tarnished his image. Meanwhile, Majchrzak transformed the incident into a positive moment by locating the boy, Brock, within an hour via social media and presenting him with a signed cap and gifts, 7NEWS reported. In a Sunday video, Majchrzak wrote, "Today after warm up I had a nice meeting. Do you recognise?" with a cap emoji, 7NEWS reported. He later shared a photo with Brock, adding, "Hell world, together with Brock. We wish you a great day," per 7NEWS.
The irony is that the guy who snatched the hat from that boy is CEO Piotr Szczerek, who is a Polish millionaire & businessman that co-founded Drogbruk, which is a paving company known for its landscaping solutions, sports sponsorships, and community programs supporting young… pic.twitter.com/vtHg4wh8Va
— 🦉𝕁.𝕁. ℝ𝕖𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕤📚 (@AuthorJJReeves) August 31, 2025
Though the story ended happily for Brock, Szczerek faced ongoing condemnation. One fan said, "What a terrible man, to snatch it right out of a child's hand," and another noted, "He was so rude, how can someone do this to a little boy," 7NEWS reported. Majchrzak's US Open run ended Sunday due to a torn intercostal muscle, forcing his retirement. "Hi everyone, a quick update: I have teared (sic) intercostal muscle and I was forced to retire today," he wrote, as cited by 7NEWS. He added, "Playing at US Open requires the best from us tennis players, and today I just haven't been able to compete. I tried but the pain was too big," 7NEWS reported.
