Just weeks after Astronomer CEO Andy Byron\u2019s scandal dominated headlines, another business leader is facing global backlash\u2014this time from the world of tennis. Piotr Szczerek, a Polish entrepreneur and CEO, has found himself at the center of controversy after snatching a signed tennis cap meant for a child at the 2025 US Open. The incident, caught on camera, has gone viral and left both him and his company\u2019s reputation in shambles.<\/p>\n
Who is Piotr Szczerek?<\/strong> Beyond his career, Piotr is deeply involved in Poland\u2019s tennis community. Known as a self-made millionaire, he and Anna are avid tennis fans who often play doubles together and even own a private court at their residence in Kalisz. The couple has also supported Polish tennis associations and young athletes through Drogbruk\u2019s sponsorships. Until recently, Piotr\u2019s public image was tied to business success and sports enthusiasm. That changed in seconds during his now infamous appearance at the US Open.<\/p>\n What exactly happened at the US Open?<\/strong> The backlash<\/strong> In the meantime, Kamil Majchrzak took matters into his own hands. He located Brok, met him in person, and gifted him not only a replacement signed cap but also additional memorabilia, winning widespread praise for his kindness.<\/p>\n Piotr\u2019s apology<\/strong> \u201cI would like to unequivocally apologise to the boy who was harmed, his family, as well as all the fans and the player himself. I made a serious mistake. In the emotions, in the crowd\u2019s joy after the victory, I was convinced that the tennis player was handing the cap in my direction, for my sons, who had earlier asked for autographs.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Still, for many, the apology did little to soften the outrage. What was once a respected businessman\u2019s reputation is now overshadowed by a single impulsive act, one that fans across the world aren\u2019t likely to forget soon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Just weeks after Astronomer CEO Andy Byron\u2019s scandal dominated headlines, another business leader is facing global backlash\u2014this time from the\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":294,"featured_media":91491,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[32881],"class_list":["post-91490","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity-news","tag-piotr-szczerek"],"reading_time":"3 min read","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91490","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/294"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91490"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91490\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91491"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91490"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91490"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91490"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nPiotr Szczerek is the co-founder and CEO of Drogbruk<\/strong>, a Polish company specializing in paving stones, decorative slabs, fences, and landscaping materials. He launched the business in 1999 with his wife, Anna, and together they grew it into a respected name in Poland\u2019s construction sector. Drogbruk is widely associated with quality, outdoor design, and even sports sponsorships, particularly in youth programs.<\/p>\n
\nThe controversy unfolded after Polish tennis player Kamil Majchrzak<\/strong> delivered a stunning victory against ninth seed Karen Khachanov<\/strong>. In celebration, Kamil moved to the stands to greet fans, signing autographs and handing a personally signed cap to a young boy named Brok<\/strong>. But before Brok could take it, Piotr Szczerek suddenly reached out, snatched the cap, and tucked it away in his wife Anna\u2019s bag. Cameras captured the shocking moment, leaving the child stunned and empty-handed.<\/p>\n
\nWithin hours, the video spread like wildfire online. Social media users quickly tracked down Piotr and Anna\u2019s accounts, flooding them with criticism. Review sites for Drogbruk were also targeted, with people\u2014many of whom had never used the company\u2019s services\u2014leaving negative ratings. In just a matter of days, Drogbruk\u2019s Google score plummeted to 1.3 stars<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
\nUnder mounting pressure, Piotr Szczerek issued a public apology:<\/p>\n