Yet Another CEO Makes The News: Polish Executive Caught Stealing Cap From Child

What happened?

On Thursday, August 28, Polish tennis player Kamil Majchrzak faced off against opponent Karen Khachanov in the Men’s Singles event of the U.S. Open. Majchrzak, who is currently the No. 2 male player from Poland, successfully defeated Khachanov, the No. 9 seed, in an intense four-hour-long match, despite losing the second set.

However, this matchup has caught global attention for other reasons, namely the incident that occurred afterwards. The Polish star took off his cap, seemingly passing it to a boy in the stands when a man standing next to him reached out and snatched it away, handing it to a woman who put it in her handbag. 

Internet reception

The clip of the man, later revealed to be a millionaire and CEO of a paving firm, shows him snapping up the hat from the outstretched hand of Majchrzak, with the boy’s protests audible through the TV broadcast. 

“No, what are you doing?” the boy exclaimed, with the CEO seemingly unmoved and showing no remorse for his action, even glancing back at the boy as if to taunt him. 

The clip, which went viral on social media, is one of many recent incidents of questionable behavior from an executive officer out in public, with another incident at a Coldplay concert in July coming to mind. 

One post on X alone gathered over 10 million views, and following the man’s identification as a CEO, his company was review-bombed on Trustpilot. 

Majchrzak, who at the time hadn’t noticed the altercation between the man and the boy, reached out on Instagram, asking for users to help him “find the kid from [the] match.” After successfully reaching out, Majchrzak gave the boy a U.S. Open-branded bag of gifts, which included a cap, and posed in some photos which were posted to his Instagram on Saturday.

Kamil Adrian Majchrzak is a Polish professional tennis player. He has a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 62, achieved on 8 September 2025 and a doubles ranking of No. 241, achieved on 8 August 2016. (Image source: CNN)

Who is the CEO?

Piotr Szczerek, the man identified in the clip, was later revealed to be the CEO of Polish paving company Drogbruk, which he founded with his wife in 1999. Drogbruk, headquartered in Blazski, Poland, has plummeted to a meager 1 star rating on Google, following backlash of the incident. As for Szczerek himself, his company sponsors sporting events including the U.S. Open, which explains his presence at the event. 

Szczerek has two sons who are amateur tennis players, and have previously hosted Polish pro Urszula Radwańska on their home court, as reported by Tenis Magazyn.

How did Szczerek respond?

According to a report by ABC7, Szczerek allegedly claimed that if the boy “had been faster, he would have the cap,” and had threatened to take legal action against those who spoke against the CEO on social media. 

However, in a recent post on Facebook, the Polish CEO released a full statement, in which he asserts that “neither [himself], nor [his] wife, nor [his] sons have commented on the situation,” and that no law firms were contacted. 

His full Facebook post is as follows: “I know I did something that seemed like consciously collecting a memento from a child. This wasn’t my intention, but it doesn’t change the fact that I hurt the boy and disappointed the fans. The hat was given to the boy, and apologies to the family. I hope I’ve at least partially repaired the damage that was done. I also want to make it clear, neither myself, nor my wife, nor my sons have commented on this situation. On social media as well as on any portal. We have not used the services of any law firm in this regard.”

He also claimed that he believed Majchrzak was giving him the hat for his two sons, who had previously asked the tennis star for an autograph. 

Conclusion

Szczerek’s apology received mixed responses on social media, with some users claiming that the statement was only released following the negative backlash. Regardless, it seems that CEOs are struggling to stay out of the news, with more and more stories being circulated online with every passing week. In the end, the kid from the saga, who Majchzrak reveals is named Brock, seems to have the best ending, with the Majchzrak later posting that the two had a “nice meeting” and wishing the young boy a “great day”.