Kamil Majchrzak has reunited with the child who was left upset when someone took a keepsake cap from him after the Polish player’s victory in the US Open.
Majchrzak, 29, achieved his greatest career win by defeating No. 9 seed Karen Khachanov in an intense five-set match on Thursday. He was seen removing his cap to hand it to a boy, Brock, in the Court 11 audience.
However, in a scene that quickly gained attention online, a man beside the child snatched the cap and placed it in his bag, leaving the boy disheartened and questioning the man’s actions as Majchrzak left, unaware of the incident.
The clip sparked fury online with fans branding the man ‘selfish’ and ‘a jerk’ for stealing a moment that should have belonged to a child.
Majchrzak moved to put things right on Friday, taking to Instagram to appeal for help in finding the boy.
“After the match, I didn’t realize the cap didn’t reach the boy,” Majchrzak noted. “Thanks to @asicstennis, I have plenty of caps, so I’m ready to make it right. Hey everyone, can you help me find the kid from my match? If it’s you (or your parents see this), please DM me.”
Kamil Majchrzak has been reunited with the young boy who had a souvenir cap snatched away
The pair shook hands before Majchrzak appeared to be handing over some merchandise
They have now been reunited at Flushing Meadows and a video posted on Majchrzak’s Instagram account showed shaking hands and talking.
He looked to have a bag of merchandise with him that he handed over to the young boy before they posed for a picture together.
Majchrzak’s caption read: ‘Hello World, Together with Brock we wish you a great day!’
Sadly, Majchrzak’s day worsened as he had to withdraw from his third-round match against Leandro Riedi due to an injury, trailing 5-3 in the first set.
Despite the happy resolution with Brock, there has been a rising backlash against the hat grabber.
An online explanation for the cap-snatching surfaced, purportedly from the legal representative of the person involved, posted on the Go Work website.
The lengthy post on LinkedIn, purporting to be by a Swedish legal firm’s partner, insisted that the filmed ‘actions were neither unlawful nor reprehensible’.
The online comment added: ‘On the contrary – they can be understood as an educational gesture and a form of teaching for a young person.
Kamil Majchrzak was signing tried to give his cap to a young boy, but a man snatched it away
The disappointed young boy was seen asking ‘what are you doing?’ after the man took the cap
‘First of all, the cap was not of such value that one could speak of any “loss”.
‘It was an everyday item, which ultimately was handed over to the child. Thus, the child was not deprived of the item but received it.
‘Secondly, the very act of temporarily taking the cap and then giving it back can be interpreted as a lesson in respect for gifted items.
‘It was therefore not about “taking away”, but about highlighting the importance of looking after what one is given.
‘In this sense, the incident takes on the character of symbolic upbringing through experience – the child, instead of passively receiving an item, was engaged in a situation that taught greater awareness and gratitude.
‘For this reason, portraying the entire event in negative terms is not only incorrect but also unfair.’
The statement led many to believe the writer could, in fact, be the hat stealer.
Yet the post was later deleted, with the legal official telling people he had been falsely misrepresented.
Majchrzak issued a plea for his followers to help him identify the boy – and it quickly worked
A post on the quoted lawyer’s LinkedIn page later said: ‘In connection with the publicly appearing statements about the incident with the cap at the US Open, I would like to inform you: I do NOT have an account on GoWork, and the opinions published there under my name are NOT my opinions.
‘I have taken legal action to block this content.’
The heart-warming resolution capped a dramatic 48 hours for Majchrzak, whose on-court exploits have already made headlines in New York.
On Thursday he produced a performance of extraordinary grit to topple Khachanov 2-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-5, 7-6(5) in four and a half hours — saving five match points along the way.
It marked his first win over a top 10 opponent and matched his best-ever run at the US Open.
