Julien Farel on the Art of Styling Hair to Survive the US Open

The old adage says pressure makes diamonds. In the case of celebrity hairstylist Julien Farel, it actually makes frizz-fighting, tightly secured ponytails and buns—at least at the US Open. Five minutes into my Zoom call, I’m the one fatigued, not the man sitting opposite me on the screen, outlining his whirlwind travel schedule for the next few weeks.

“I am actually in the New York salon today. Then, I will go to the Southampton salon tomorrow night. And then next week, I will go to the Palm Beach salon. After that, I start the US Open, so that’s going to be the cherry on top. Then New York Fashion Week, and a wedding in Monte Carlo late September. So it’s going to be an active end of summer,” he shares. Active, indeed. The French hairstylist, who has created styles for the likes of Martha Stewart, Teyana Taylor, and Bethenny Frankel, is celebrating his 18th year as the US Open’s official hairstylist, a role in which he’s worked with a stacked list of tennis champions: Naomi Osaka, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Bianca Andreescu, Aryna Sabalenka, and Coco Gauff, to name a few. It’s the kind of pressure he relishes, where performance doesn’t start on the court but in the chair.

“Red carpets require precision. A red carpet or a cover is basically a sculpture, so you have to do something that’s going to look amazing for a few minutes. A picture is a single frozen moment where hair has to shine, but it doesn’t have to stay intact the whole day,” he explains. Tennis courts, however, demand what he calls “engineered movement.”

“On the courts, hair has to live for three, four, five hours. And the movement has to stay there, through sweat, heat, and humidity, especially when it’s a three- or five-set game. First, I have to engineer the movement; second, it’s all about beauty because [the tennis stars] want to look good. Tennis players today are a big brand,” Farel says. He likens his role to a Formula 1 pit stop: high-pressure, time-sensitive, and invisible once the athlete steps into the spotlight. Athletes aren’t just vying for a title, but creating buzz that’ll attract big-name beauty brands for sponsorships or maintain the ones they already have. This presents another tension he has to address: the relationship between hair and confidence.

“Forget about the athlete. What about you? If your hair doesn’t look good, nothing will feel good, right? They’re people just like you and me. Confidence is everything,” he says. Making the world’s most recognized athletes ready for the camera without interfering with their craft is no easy feat. And because this isn’t a red carpet or cover shoot, hairstyle options are limited to slicked buns and ponytails that look simple to the eye. But within those constraints, creativity and expertise abound in ways we don’t necessarily see: slicking, sculpting, and securing with a cocktail of formulas, particularly from his eponymous label that keeps every strand in place.

Farel explains his system: Before a client even sits in his chair, he sends them a bottle of his Restore hair treatment, a “non-foaming shampoo that fights the humidity, but also hydrates the scalp; it smooths the cuticle, and it controls frizz before any tension goes into the hair.” That way, the only thing to do come game day is mold, fasten, and secure.

Ahead, Farel breaks down his experience working with tennis’s biggest names, his approach to performance styling, and the products he relies on to make sure no look ever ends in a fault.

---

Naomi Osaka

Years ago, a tennis look was simply that—just a comfortable getup with little intention beyond keeping hair out of the way and freeing garments for optimal execution on the court. Naomi Osaka has become the star for statement-making court ensembles, from gilded tulle gowns (that transformed into a tennis dress, no less) at 2026 Roland Garros to a kimono-inspired look honoring her Japanese roots at Wimbledon. For her hair, the statement is kept to a minimum, save for “a graphic and sculptural accent,” be it beads peppered around her braided bun or red rosettes anchored to her braided ponytail. “She’s always going to have a look, and it’s all about outfit choice and combining it with hair—hiding a ribbon or something intricate,” Farel says.

Serena Williams

“Serena is a fashionista. Like sometimes, I would wonder, ‘Oh my God, how are you going to play tennis in that fancy stuff?’ But the reality is, that was who she was—intentional always. She’s not only playing for herself; she’s playing for the entire brand she represents,” Farel says. While her hair texture is curlier, he says, “the braid, the bun, the ponytail, and the half-up is always the way to go” with Williams.

Across all hair types and textures, Farel says he uses a soft sculpting gel and sun-protection products. “I will always try to get products that have some UVA in them. You want to protect the hair because they are exposed to the heat,” he adds. Another trick? “Sometimes, I will lock a ponytail into place with a natural oil, or something that works more for the humidity. At the end of the day, you also have to make sure all those products are scent-free because you don’t want it to run into their eyes [while playing].”

Venus Williams

“Venus, who is smooth and very lean, has a lot of elegance in motion and expression,” he gushes. Farel says younger stars offer him more flexibility and creativity in styling, while veterans like Venus and Serena already have their looks mapped out. The simpler, the better, but firmness is still paramount.

Aryna Sabalenka

“Aryna carries the power, anger, and aggression. I think she picked up a little bit of Serena’s spirit. Because she works so much with strength, her hair has to be secure; those braids have to be almost architectural. It has to feel like as if it’s [as stiff as] a building, and it will stay,” he says. However, her off-court style is completely night and day. “She will get out of the court and ask you to do the total opposite of her on-court style: something very soft, wavy, and with curls. Whereas on the court, she’s like a beast. She tells me, ‘I need to look like a killer,’” he shares.

Coco Gauff

“And then you get somebody like Coco Gauff, who is much more natural and has this effortless energy,” Farel says. “She likes her hair to feel exactly that as well; she’s not somebody who’s going to ask you for something impossible. She’s not going to the court to show off, but to be the best with her game. She’s much more low-key.”

Shop Julien Farel Bestsellers