Hidden away at the back of the US Open’s presidential suite, the tournament’s unsung hero remains hard at work, scissors in hand. For 15 years, hairstylist Julien Farel has hosted a pop-up salon for all players participating in the Open. Tresses of top-seeded players fall to the ground as Farel carefully styles each coif.
Growing up in Lyon, France, Farel didn't have aspirations of becoming a hairdresser; until he was 14, he dreamt of being a professional soccer player. While attending a middle school for athletes, Farel received an offer from France’s national soccer team to attend their competitive recruiting camp, but due to his family’s situation at the time, he was unable to go. After he failed to show up to the camp, Farel never heard back from the team.
His hopes for a successful soccer career seemingly crushed, Farel brainstormed other career aspirations. He didn’t enjoy school much, and he felt his professional options were limited to being a baker, plumber, accountant, or hairstylist. Opting for the hairstyling route, Farel began cutting his early clients' hair out of his grandmother’s kitchen.