Polish millionaire Piotr Szczerek issues clarification on earlier viral comments of him and his wife Anna Szczerek on the US Open cap-snatching incident

Polish millionaire Piotr Szczerek, who is facing backlash after a video of him snatching a signed cap meant for a child during the 2025 US Open went viral, issued an official apology statement on September 1, 2025 (Monday). He also clarified that he and his wife, Anna Szczerek, nor his sons had made comments online about the US Open incident. He also asserted that no law firm has been hired regarding this matter.

“I also want to state clearly: neither I nor my wife nor my sons commented on this situation on social media or on any other platform. We did not hire any law firm regarding this matter. All statements appearing online accredited to us were false and were not authored by us or our representatives,” Szczerek said in his apology letter.

“For years, my wife and I have been involved in supporting children and young athletes, but this incident has shown me that a moment of inattention can undo years of work and support. It is a painful but necessary lesson in humility,” he added.




The clarification from the millionaire followed the US Open incident, which took place after Poland's Kamil Majchrzak bagged victory against Russia's Karen Khachanov in the second round in New York on Thursday (August 28, 2025). The video of the incident, which went viral on social media, showed the Polish company Drogbruk CEO taking the hat from the child and placing it into a bag while the youngster protested.

Earlier alleged statements by Piotr and Anna Szczerek

An alleged Szczerek Gowork statement translated into English read, “Yes, I took it. Yes, I did it quickly. But as I’ve always said, life is first come, first served.” It also issued a warning to critics about likely legal action for offensive comments.

A statement from Szczerek's wife, Anna Szczerek, was also doing the rounds on social media. She wrote, “employee, You poor people, you shouldn't really have access to the Internet - you can't use this tool correctly. Unfortunately, Polish mental poverty together with straw in shoes gives the result that we all see. If we take into account the circumstances of this pseudo-scard, this kid simply got a pro bono life lesson. Let him be happy. Greetings.”