By Kristen Dold
GQ.com
Chalk it up to Andre Agassi's admission that his lion-mane mullet wig cost him the French Open back in 1990 (yep, it's worth another look) but most of the players at the U.S. Open only trust their on-court hair to one man: Celebrity stylist Julien Farel.
With a client list that includes the likes of former Man of the Year Novak Djokovic ("This year we kept his hair longer in the front. He has some side bangs going on, which make him look much softer.") and Rafael Nadal, Farel has set up a pop-up shop right inside Arthur Ashe Stadium for the past seven years, cutting and styling 50 or so heads of hair a day, including players (who often come in two or three times a day) coaches, and VIPs. His motto: perfect hair = perfect play. "The players talk to me about the power of a haircut. If you look good, you feel good and play better."
While we're not guaranteeing a trip to Farel's chair will automatically up your tennis game, here are the products he recommends to get tennis-pro-ready hair off the court.
Flexible Gel ($23) "I've used it on Nadal's lengthy locks to Djokovic's trimmed 'do. It controls the hair without being too slick."
Vitamin Smooth ($23) "It's a smoothing creme that polishes hair with an ultra-light, smooth finish, and tames flyways and split ends. It's small and light enough to throw in your gym bag."
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