." I only won as well as I prefer whacks," Croatian ping pong superstar Donna Vekiu0107 declares Friday mid-day of the United States Open. She's merely beaten Peyton Stearns-- and after extending and showering-- her following deter pre-press association is actually the petit Julien Farel pop-up beauty salon concealed inside Queens's Arthur Ashe Arena. "I had actually been waiting all season to view Julian and also get whacks inspired by Margot Robbie." More than 20 years ago, hairstylist Julien Farel came close to the USA Ping Pong Association with an idea: a beauty salon where ping pong players can stop by for a hairstyle, style, or an additional kind of self-care in the course of the US Open, some of the best high-intensity competitors of their year. "It took all of them five years to say yes to me," Farel, right now 16 years in to the beauty parlor relationship at the Open, tells me along with a smile. "I was actually really chronic due to the fact that I understood this would certainly be actually a perk for lots of sportsmens. As well as I corrected. Today, they expect this minute to come in as well as get a haircut." A number of the sporting activity's biggest labels have actually rested inside this salon, which is only open during the 2 weeks of the competition: "I cut Rafael Nadal's hair coming from lengthy to short in 2010, that occurred right here as well as it was actually a big package. Everybody from Billie Jean Master to [Martina] Navratilova has partaken these office chairs. Our experts possessed Coco below straight after she won in 2013's competition, too." Vekiu0107 as well as her brand-new bangs, freshly cut by Julien Farel.Photographed through Caroline Tompkins.