." I simply won and also I wish whacks," Croatian ping pong star Donna Vekiu0107 declares Friday mid-day of the United States Open. She's just beaten Peyton Stearns-- as well as after flexing and bathing-- her following deter pre-press conference is the petit Julien Farel pop-up hair salon concealed inside Queens's Arthur Ashe Arena. "I had been standing by all time to view Julian and receive raps inspired through Margot Robbie." Much more than 20 years earlier, hairstylist Julien Farel approached the USA Ping Pong Affiliation with an idea: a beauty parlor where ping pong gamers might pop in for a haircut, style, or even an additional type of self-care during the US Open, some of the best high-intensity competitions of their year. "It took all of them 5 years to okay me," Farel, right now 16 years right into the beauty parlor relationship at the Open, informs me with a smile. "I was incredibly consistent since I knew this will be a perk for numerous professional athletes. As well as I corrected. Now, they wait for this moment to follow in and also acquire a hairstyle." A number of the sport's most significant names have actually sat inside this hair salon, which is actually merely available in the course of both weeks of the competitors: "I reduced Rafael Nadal's hair from lengthy to quick in 2010, that occurred on this site as well as it was actually a huge bargain. Everyone coming from Billie Jean King to [Martina] Navratilova has actually beinged in these chairs. Our experts possessed Coco below right after she succeeded last year's tournament, also." Vekiu0107 and also her brand-new bangs, freshly reduced by Julien Farel.Captured through Caroline Tompkins.