The person who was caught on digital camera snatching a hat off a younger boy on the US Open has mentioned he made a “large mistake” after footage of the incident went viral.
Piotr Szczerek, a Polish chief government of a paving agency, mentioned he was “satisfied” tennis star Kamil Majchrzak had been “passing his hat in my route”.
“I do know I did one thing that appeared like consciously amassing a memento from a baby,” he wrote in a press release. “This wasn’t my intention, nevertheless it does not change the truth that I damage the boy and disillusioned the followers.”
The video, taken throughout Majchrzak’s match on Thursday, confirmed the tennis participant providing his cap to a baby, earlier than Mr Szczerek seems to take it.
Variations of the clip have been shared broadly on social media and prompted criticism of Mr Szczerek’s actions.
The 50-year-old wrote on social media on Monday: “I want to unequivocally apologise to the injured boy, his household, in addition to all of the followers and the participant himself.”
He added that he had given the hat again to the boy, and hoped that it had “no less than partially repaired the harm that was achieved”.
Majchrzak, 29, who had simply gained his match towards Russian ninth seed Karen Khachanov when the incident unfolded, advised the New York Put up on Saturday that “clearly it was some type of confusion”.
“I used to be pointing, giving the hat, however I had lots occurring after my match, after being tremendous drained and tremendous excited for the win,” he mentioned.
“I simply missed it. I had like a useless look, if you recognize what I imply. I am certain the man was additionally appearing within the second of warmth, within the second of feelings.”
The tennis star reunited with the boy over the weekend, sharing clips of him giving the younger fan a cap and different merchandise on Instagram.
“In the present day after heat up, I had a pleasant assembly,” the tennis star wrote, including: “Do you recognise [the cap]?”
Majchrzak, ranked 76th on the earth in males’s singles, got here again from two units right down to beat Khachanov in a second-round match at Flushing Meadows, however was pressured to retire injured throughout the first set of his third-round tie towards Switzerland’s Leandro Riedi on Saturday.
He later confirmed he had torn an intercostal muscle.
Mr Szczerek and his spouse Anna based his paving firm Drogbruk in 1999, polish outlet Tenis Magazyn reported. The corporate sponsors sporting occasions and Polish athletes.
The couple and their two sons are novice tennis gamers who compete in native leagues, and have hosted Polish tennis professional Urszula Radwańska on their residence court docket, in accordance with Tenis Magazyn.
