." I just succeeded as well as I want whacks," Croatian ping pong superstar Donna Vekiu0107 proclaims Friday afternoon of the US Open. She is actually just beaten Peyton Stearns-- and after extending and showering-- her next cease pre-press association is the petit Julien Farel pop-up beauty salon hidden inside Queens's Arthur Ashe Arena. "I had been actually hanging around all season to see Julian and also receive whacks motivated by Margot Robbie." More than two decades ago, hair stylist Julien Farel moved toward the United States Ping Pong Affiliation along with a concept: a beauty shop where ping pong players could pop in for a hairstyle, style, or one more kind of self-care throughout the United States Open, some of the best high-intensity competitions of their year. "It took them five years to okay me," Farel, right now 16 years into the salon partnership at the Open, tells me along with a smile. "I was actually extremely constant given that I recognized this would be actually a perk for many athletes. And also I was right. Now, they wait on this instant to follow in and obtain a haircut." A number of the sporting activity's most significant names have actually sat inside this salon, which is merely available in the course of the two weeks of the competition: "I cut Rafael Nadal's hair coming from long to brief in 2010, that took place on this site and also it was actually a significant deal. Everybody coming from Billie Jean King to [Martina] Navratilova has actually partaken these chairs. Our team had Coco listed here straight after she gained in 2015's tournament, too." Vekiu0107 and her new bangs, fresh cut through Julien Farel.Photographed through Caroline Tompkins.