Babolat Pure Drive Review

Babolat has been a leading racket manufacturer for tennis for many years. Wozniacki, Nadal, and many more have been loyal to their rackets, and it’s no shock that we instantly recognize the class stripped hash logo everywhere we play. 

The newest edition of the Babolat Pure drive has all the things we loved about it before, including effortless power and quick whipping tendencies, along with new features like a little more racket control. 

Let’s break down area by area what we can expect from this beautifully blue powerhouse. 

Specs

First, know your specs before we get into the nitty-gritty of the powerhouse.

Head Size: 100 square Inches

Length: 27 inches

Unstrung Weight: 300 grams

Strung Weight: 318 grams

Balance: 4 points headlights 

Swingweight:  320 

String Pattern: 16 Mains/19 Crosses

Stiffness: 71

General Background

Before getting into anything else, you will notice that many specs run very similar to the Yonex Ezone 100. Users will say that they are the two most similar when it comes to powerhouses in each’s respective lines. However, they do have some key differences that may win one player over another. 

Stiff used to be the name of the game when it comes to the old Babolat Pure Drive. The ball wouldn’t linger even a fraction of a second before pinging off into space. Kidding. However, players did complain about the shock of stiffness that occurred with contact, so Babolat made an effort to change this while keeping the power in the racket. 

This year’s turnaround certainly added some flexibility to the racket. While we will emphasize that this racket is similar to the Yonex Ezone 100 as far as who it’s designed for (aggressive baseliners and counter-pinches.) It’s also some room for good scoring in other areas. 

Here’s why.

Baselining

Easy power is the name of the game when it comes to the Pure Drive. In fact, the power may be too easy for some. The ball tends to aim sky-high upon contact, which is why it is actually a great racket for those who have heavy topspin games. The easy maneuverability of the racket because of its headlight weight allows for easy wrist whopping tendencies that make for a heavy shot. Without the spin, it may be challenging to control. 

While the stiffness has improved and the racket has become more flexible, it still rates unbelievably high on the stiffness rating. This means players will want short compact swings with effortless groundstrokes because muscling the ball will just lead to a serious lack of control. 

For those who don’t take big cuts at the ball but love to play a power baseline game, this racket is perfect for you. It sits at a medium weight making it easy to play with but weighed down just enough to add power and stability to an otherwise unstable frame. 

Net Game:

The racket used to be not a great contender at the net. Now it is an OK contender. It’s not the best on the market for volleying, but with the added flexibility to the racket, it allows the shot to stay on the string and offer a little more feel than before. 

It can get the job done, so with the power and spin from the back, you can easily be set up to put the ball away from the front. The maneuverability makes it easy to get into the positions, but because of the lack of control in some departments, it’s better to go with a clean-cut volley than try to take a big swing or even try to play touch. 

This can make things a little more challenging if you’re a serve and volleyer or a doubles player. If you are already at the net, you probably won’t have to make complaints. But if you are a transition player, then you will need to rely on your refined skills to make it work. 

Serving

Here is where the racket takes the cake. Similar to the Yonex Ezone 100, you can serve big ones up the T all day long. However, the trade-off with power is always the control aspect of it. You’ll need to either get a really great feel for the flat serve, or if you are playing in windier conditions, find a way to replicate the spin you get off the groundstrokes. 

The racket is not difficult to hit heavier serves once you master the swing. This is because the highlight ways allow you to move the racket quickly around the service motions. 

But what about the concern for the lack of control? This is where the isometric design can really make a difference. While the racket is technically 100 square intentions and offers a great sweet spot, its rectangular shape offers the tiny bit of control you need to make sure those bombs go in. 

Final Thoughts

Again now all that different from the Yonex’s Ezone 100, the Babolat Pure Drive runs similar specs and has long been a contender in top racket’s for quite some time. They did make some renovations to this year’s addition that brought it even closer to the Ezone. Notably, players talked about a lack of feel from the level of stiffness. While it is still quite a stiff racket, it does have a slightly more forgiving feel, so those who like to set up from the baseline will have no problem transitioning to the net. 

Where this racket really cranks is power, housing it from the back and cranking out big serves for easy points. Players who have a shorter compact swing will do well with this racket because the ball really starts to take off. This is why putting some spin on the ball can be very important from a control perspective.