POLISH tennis ace Kamil Majchrzak says he was delighted he could hand a bag of merchandise to the young kid involved in the center of a controversial cap-snatching episode.
But the world No.76 reckons fans should now lay off the guy who stole the hat “in the heat of the moment”.
Kamil Majchrzak met the fan who had a cap snatched from his grasp[/caption]
Kamil Majchrzak handed over merchandise to the young supporter[/caption]
After shocking Russian No.9 seed Karen Khachanov 2-6 6-7 6-4 7-5 7-6 in the second round last Thursday, Majchrzak signed autographs for the fans in New York.
Majchrzak, who saved five Khachanov match points, was filmed on camera removing his cap and trying to hand it to a child called Brock, who was in the crowd on Court 11.
Yet a brazen onlooker who was stood next to the boy swiped the item instead and quickly stuffed it into his own bag.
Majchrzak, 29, was unaware of the shocking incident at the time and the kid looked devastated as the man next to him left with the piece of sporting memorabilia.
Footage of the incident went viral and sparked outrage on the internet and the guy – who was branded “selfish” and a “jerk” – was allegedly identified as a Polish millionaire CEO.
On Friday, Majchrzak launched an appeal on Instagram to find the boy.
And before his third-round clash with Swiss qualifier Leandro Riedi – he retired injured after eight games – he met up with the lad and his family outside the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
A heartwarming clip of the reunion was posted online, showing the pair shaking hands and chatting, before kind-hearted Majchrzak handed over a bag of goodies.
The caption read, “Hello World. Together with Brock, we wish you a great day!”
In a chat with SunSport, Majchrzak said, “It was a very nice meeting.
“I wanted to meet the boy Brock and his family and just try to make things right for him.
“I mean we exchanged some messages. I asked how they liked the site, how everything was going, if they played tennis.
“They obviously wished me all the best for the match. The meeting was just very nice.
“It was nice to meet them.
“The tournament, the USTA, helped me with tickets, but I was in touch with the family by myself, when I saw the video.
“I thought it’d be very nice to meet them again. I just put out an Insta story. They reached out to me. So, then we spoke about all the details.
“I mean I wasn’t aware that it happened. I missed it.
“I think he had a lot of emotions, too. Probably he did it with emotions. Maybe he thought it was also to him, because I was signing his ball.
“I don’t want to say something wrong, because I know how viral it went.
“But what I think is he was also acting in the moment of emotions, in the heat of the moment, and probably when he realised what happened, it was already too late.
“I mean that’s pretty much it. This wasn’t right, but what’s gone is gone.
“I mean, we fixed it, everybody’s happy now, and I think it’s time to put it behind for everyone.
“I honestly did not expect that (it would go viral). It was kind of tricky to open any social media and see this video and see myself in every fourth video or something.
“The power of the internet is incredible. Also the power of the internet helped me find Brock.
“So I hope we’re all going to try to use it in the best possible way.”
How to watch the 2025 US Open
THE tennis world has descended upon New York City for the fourth and final slam of the year.
The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows will have the eyes of the sporting universe upon it.
The 2025 US Open takes place from Sunday 24 August to Sunday 7 September.
And there is a standalone mixed-double competition as well as qualifying taking place in the week beforehand.
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