." I simply won and I wish thumps," Croatian ping pong star Donna Vekiu0107 declares Friday afternoon of the US Open. She is actually merely defeated Peyton Stearns-- and also after extending and also bathing-- her next cease pre-press conference is actually the petit Julien Farel pop-up beauty shop concealed inside Queens's Arthur Ashe Arena. "I had been actually hanging around all season to see Julian and acquire raps inspired by Margot Robbie." Greater than two decades ago, hairdresser Julien Farel came close to the USA Ping Pong Organization with a tip: a salon where ping pong players can stop by for a haircut, design, or even yet another form of self-care during the US Open, one of the absolute most high-intensity competitors of their year. "It took all of them five years to okay me," Farel, now 16 years in to the salon relationship at the Open, tells me along with a smile. "I was extremely consistent given that I understood this will be actually a perk for a lot of professional athletes. As well as I corrected. Now, they wait on this second to come in and also obtain a hairstyle." A number of the sporting activity's largest names have actually sat inside this beauty parlor, which is actually just available during the two full weeks of the competition: "I cut Rafael Nadal's hair from long to short in 2010, that occurred right here and also it was actually a significant deal. Everybody from Billie Jean King to [Martina] Navratilova has sat in these chairs. Our team had Coco here straight after she succeeded last year's competition, also." Vekiu0107 as well as her brand-new bangs, fresh cut by Julien Farel.Captured by Caroline Tompkins.