Piotr Szczerek faces backlash after snatching signed cap from child at US Open

A strange moment at the US Open has thrust a Polish businessman into the spotlight, though not for anything remotely related to tennis. When a young fan named Brock was handed a signed cap by Polish player Kamil Majchrzak, a well-dressed man appeared to snatch it mid-gesture. The startled child tried to protest, but the man calmly tucked the cap into his wife’s bag and walked away. It made for an uncomfortable viral moment, and emotions snapped.

Then the chips fell. The man was identified as Piotr Szczerek, CEO of Drogbruk, a paving and landscaping company in Poland. In the days that followed, his actions exploded into a social media firestorm, while Majchrzak stepped in to restore goodwill.

Who’s Piotr Szczerek – and what exactly happened?

Piotr Szczerek isn’t some anonymous face in the crowd. He’s the co-founder and CEO of Drogbruk, a successful Polish paving firm begun in 1999 alongside his wife, Anna. The company is known for sponsoring local tennis and youth sports programs; Szczerek himself plays tennis at the amateur level, even hosting regional stars at his home court in Kalisz.

The incident happened just after Majchrzak, fresh off a gritty win over Karen Khachanov, paused to interact with fans and offered his cap to young Brock. At that moment, Piotr Szczerek reached over, grabbed the cap, and quickly stashed it in his wife’s bag, all while Brock was still reaching for it.

When the clip blew up online, netizens lost it. Critics called the act “selfish,” “entitled,” and even “sociopathic” and labeled Piotr Szczerek as a bully for taking something from a child. His social media accounts went dark amid mounting backlash, and Drogbruk’s ratings plummeted on review sites as angry users bombarded the company with negative feedback.

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Meanwhile, Majchrzak quietly sprang into action. Realizing the boy had been robbed of his moment, the tennis pro turned to his followers for help locating Brock. In short order, he tracked him down, met him in person, gave him another signed cap (plus some extra memorabilia), and posed for a photo, posting the moment online with “All good now!” The gesture warmed hearts across social media.

Even in just a few seconds, one thoughtless gesture can unravel years of work and goodwill. For many, this became less about a tennis cap and more about accountability, especially for those in positions of power. Thanks to Majchrzak’s compassion, the boy got his day and some badly needed optics back. But for Piotr Szczerek, the damage lingers. Reports suggest Drogbruk’s reputation may be in for a long recovery, and only time will tell if this one moment alters public trust.

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