Babolat Tennis Rackets – review
Babolat is known for it’s modern player’s rackets which encourage big, fast swings and plenty of topspin – think Rafael Nadal.
While there are three main racket lines, each line has a variety of rackets aimed to suit the needs of different players.
Hailing from Lyon, France, Babolat is one of the biggest tennis racket companies in the world.
Used by superstar Spaniard, Rafael Nadal, these rackets are commonplace in any tennis club around the world, but it’s not just
Rafa who is sporting these sticks.
Tour Pro’s include – Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Dominic Thiem, Felix Auger Aliassime, Fabio Fognini, Jo-Wilfred Tsonga, Garbine Muguruza, Caroline Wozniaki, Karolina Pliskova.
With some of the most identifiable rackets on the planet, Babolat is a popular option for players of all standards.
Between the Pure Drive, Pure Aero and Pure Strike ranges, there’s a lot of great rackets to pick from.
The Babolat Range
Pure Aero
These are the famous rackets used by Rafael Nadal and in many ways the characteristics that these rackets suit are those that Nadal portrays.
Pure Aeros are perfectly designed for speed, spin and power in that order.
Players who love to use massive racket head speed to play with heavy topspin will love this stick and they may find it helps them get that extra little bit out of their game.
Like all the Babolat rackets, the Pure Aeros have a number of sub-catogories within their range.
Pure Drive
Players who are looking for big power will feel right at home with these rackets.
The Pure Drives were some of the early leaders in the development of modern rackets, and it seemed like all the big hitters were using those rackets back in the early 2000s – iconically, Andy Roddick with his massive serve.
Just like the Aeros, the Pure Drives are extremily maneuverable, allowing players to generate good racket head speed and maximize their shots.
A variety of different options within this range mean that Pure Drives can cater for all players, from a real beginner all the way up to the pro tour.
Pure Strike
With the Pure Aero and the Pure Drive rackets, Babolat has catered to the power and spin lovers, so it’s only right that they make a racket for the control lovers out there.
Babolat did a really good job!
The Pure Strike still has a modern feel to it, but it offers a great blend of control, feel, power and spin. Its sleek, flexible beam cuts through the air nicely, making it the ideal tool to swing big with.
While Babolat has the King of Clay repping the Pure Aero, they also, have the Crown Prince of Clay in Dominic Thiem using the Pure Strike.
Babolat Sub-categories
Within Babolat’s different racket ranges there are certain sub-categories that are worth looking at.
Here’s a run-through some of the important details of each category.
Lite.
As the name suggests, the Lite rackets offer a slightly lighter option for beginner and intermediate players.
Both the Babolat Pure Aero Lite and the Pure Drive Lite weigh 270gm unstrung, making them extremely easy for beginners to use.
Unfortunately, there is no Lite version of the Pure Strike offered at present. These rackets are perfect for young players who are still learning their strokes and are worth a look at for beginner adults who are worried about playing with a heavy racket.
Team.
The Babolat Team rackets are ideal for intermediate players who have mastered the basics of their swing but are still working hard on their technique.
They are a middle ground between the Lite rackets and the regular version and offer a good compromise between ease of use and performance.
The Team tennis rackets are an excellent stepping stone between the light rackets and the regular versions.
Tour.
The Tour rackets are slightly heavier than the regular versions and offer a little extra in the way of performance.
The extra weight in these rackets will allow players with advanced strokes to maximize their power and spin potential and get the most out of their games.
If you’re going to select a racket with a little bit more weight then you need to know your swings are up to it, otherwise, you may find they hurt your performance rather than help it.
Plus.
The Plus rackets are what’s called extended length rackets. These rackets are slightly longer than the regular size rackets and allow players some extra reach.
They can be quite useful for shorter players to maximise their power and reach, but once again, you do need to have some reasonably strong strokes to get the most out of these rackets.
VS.
You will find VS versions of each of the Babolat racket ranges. These are rackets that used to be part of a different family but have been incorporated into one of the main three racket ranges.
The VS rackets will generally lean slightly more towards control than their none VS siblings.
Other Considerations
Head size.
This number will normally be included at the end of the racket name, common examples are 97 and 100.
Smaller heads tend to lean towards precision striking of the ball.
String Pattern.
You will see lots of rackets listed as 16×19 or 18×20. This refers to the number of strings in the racket. 18×20 rackets will be more control-oriented vs easier power and spin from 16×19 rackets.
