Julien Farel rings in 13th year as hair stylist for US Open

NEW YORK—There are plenty of perks for the stars of the US Open (piles of prize money, Mercedes private transport cars, luxury gifts, etc), but there's one perk that leaves players looking better than ever. Tucked near the entrance to the player gym is the Julien Farel salon, offering haircuts, blowouts, braiding and nail care.

Players come in before and after matches for on-court and off-court styling. The popup salon has been part of the US Open since 2007, and each year it gets bigger and better.

"It's just been growing. Just look at the salon, it looks more like a real salon," Julien Farel told Baseline. "At first it was a little strange, but now it starts to look really more like how we are."

"Ever year I come to cut my hair here and I'm really happy," Alize Cornet told Baseline. "It's the stop. For a girl, it's very important to feel confident. It's a good thing to take care of your nails, your feet, your hair and you go on court and everything is set: You can just play tennis."

Once a player loses, they also lose access to the popup salon, but have about 48 hours of leeway (rules are getting tighter each year, Farel says). Farel has styled the hair of almost every famous player on the planet, though his biggest missing client is Roger Federer. His favorite story is working with Rafael Nadal in 2010.

"When I cut Nadal from long to short, and he won the tournament; that was pretty big," Farel says. "Rafa became a very big supporter of us. We became friends over the years."

He's been trusted to style the locks on some very famous heads.

"Then you have [Novak] Djokovic, who is a charmer. He always has a new story," Farel says. "I've become close with Stan Wawrinka, who hopefully next year will come to train at my tennis court in my Hamptons house."

"The player looks forward to coming, whereas at the beginning they didn't know you, they didn't know who we are," Farel says. "They also come a lot to the city [salon] because they can get more service. We can't do any coloring here."

Hailing from France, Farel had a salon in Paris before making the move to New York. He started pursing a partnership with the US Open in 2002, a year after opening his flagship salon in Manhattan.

"Everybody thought I was crazy," he says. "I am a little crazy, but that's why we live in New York."

Tennis was a natural partnership for him: "I grew up dreaming about meeting all those women like Gabriela Sabatini," he says. "I was a big fan. I had a little crush."

Given how often players are being photographed both on and off the court, they come through Farel's door in droves.

"The first four days usually you get about 70 players a day," Farel says. "For them, it's a perk. By the last day you have very few people because there's no players left."

This year, he's also having players use his own product: Restore Hair and Scalp Treatment. It's an all-in-one shampoo and conditioner that is non-foaming and detergent-free. With players taking multiple showers a day when they're training and competing in tournaments, a regular detergent shampoo will cause a lot of damage.

A haircut from Farel's experienced hands can cost a client $1,000, but the US Open salon offers his and his staff's services for free for the entire fortnight.

"For me, it's a passion. It's promotion, it's a marketing budget" Farel says. "It's a sport I love."

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