The man who committed an atrocious act at the US Open has since been identified.
29-year-old Kamil Majchrzak was interacting with his crowd of fans after defeating Karen Khachanov in a thrilling tennis match on August 28.
For many fans, this is a great opportunity to meet, speak with, and get signed autographs and other memorabilia from players to take home.
This is especially true of children, but for one kid, this memorable moment was quite literally stolen from him when Majchrzak handed him a signed cap, only for the man next to him to snatch it up instead, seemingly.
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In the viral footage, the man can be seen stuffing the hat into a bag while smiling, as the child audibly protests the move, seemingly unaware that the whole moment is being captured on camera.
People on social media have been rightly outraged, and the man has now been identified.
Majchrzak confirmed the man's identity to The New York Post as Polish millionaire Piotr Szczerek, the CEO of paving company Drogbruk, who, according to reports, has since deactivated his social media accounts following the online backlash.
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Further recalling the incident to the publication, Majchrzak defended Szczerek, as he said: “Obviously, it was some kind of confusion.
“I was pointing, giving the hat, but I had a lot going on after my match, after being super tired and super excited for the win. I just missed it. I had like a dead look if you know what I mean. I’m sure the guy was also acting in the moment of heat, in the moment of emotions.”
In the footage, Majchrzak appeared not to have noticed the sleight of hand, but he later took to Instagram to provide an update after he'd attempted to locate the boy.
He wrote: “After the match, I didn’t get to record that my cap didn’t get to the boy. Thanks to @asicstennis I’ve got enough caps so I’m prepared for that.”
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Sharing four images of the child, he continued: “Hey Guys, could you help me find the kid from my match @usopen @eurosportpl. If it’s you (or your parents see this), please send me a DM.”
Hours later, he returned to social media with some good news that the boy had been located.
He added: “I am impressed by the power of the Internet. We got it! All good now,” followed by a salute and thumbs up emoji.”
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And keeping up with the good news, the tennis player then shared an Instagram clip of him meeting the kid and offering him a goodie bag and a new cap.
UNILAD has contacted Drogbruk for comment.
Gerrard Kaonga