Picking up serious steam with each passing year, Babolat has certainly become one of the hottest tennis companies on the planet. Eager to stay in that position, the French company is proud to introduce the latest installment in their “Aero” line, which is simply called the Pure Aero.
Being on the Advisory Babolat board for over 10 years, I’ve had the privilege of using the four previous generations of the Aero ProDrive series. I’ve enjoyed each one for different reasons and the Pure Aero is no exception.
From a cosmetic standpoint, the Pure Aero surely stands out. Updated with vibrant yellow and black paint, the initial features that jump out to the user are the flat grommets and hidden cortex unit. That lack of a visible cortex unit resembles the first-ever AeroPro Drive frame, which was one of my favorites in the series.
Moving on to the actual playability of the racket, I decided to cut out the Sprialtek string that was provided and substitute in a set of Origin with a tension of 45LBS. From there I placed lead tape at 3 and 9 o’clock as well as under the grip handle (this is my set up with the previous Aero ProDrive).
With my preferred set up in place, the racket played exactly how I wanted. Deep shots to the baseline were a breeze and I also enjoyed the added spin, courtesy of the FSI Spin Technology, which allows for more bite on the ball. Because the sweet spot on the Pure Aero is a tad higher than before and due to the enlarged grommet holes, users will immediately feel that top spin and slice shots are even heavier.
Although I didn’t generate the same MPH on a flat serve with the Pure Aero as I did with the previous model, my second serve experienced much more spin than before. Known to accommodate the net player, the change made to Origin 16 has made the forecourt game that much more enjoyable.
The sleek nature of this racket will not only allow for eye-catching results from the next court, but it will provide the player with the necessary firepower that is needed in today’s hard-hitting game.
Lastly, known as a player that likes to take big cuts on his returns, I was pleasantly surprised at how deep my returns were going. Breaking serve as never been so much fun!
All in all, the all-new Pure Aero is a great frame and one that is sure to be widely used a variety of different players and levels.
To pick up your very own Pure Aero today, checkout the following TennisWarehouse.com link.