The Babolat Pure Drive Tour returns in 2021 with the intention of bringing forth more feel and comfort to its advanced clientele.
The Pure Drive Tour 2021:
Sponsoring the likes of Fabio Fognini, Garbine Muguruza, Sofia Kenin and Lucas Pouille, the world’s best selling racquet continues to aid competitors of the highest caliber. Not only will advanced players benefit from the frames latest make over, but intermediate players looking for a heftier racquet will also be surprised with its easy playing nature.
If you play tennis, you know that Babolat has a primary focus of producing quality frames and not introducing a vast variety of different models like other manufacturers.
Where the stock version of the Pure Drive 2021 appeals to every level of play and pretty much any age category, the Pure Drive Tour will definitely have more of a “niche” following. Coming in at 11.8 oz strung weight, this fully loaded Pure Drive Tour provides ample flow-through on ground-strokes and returns, while allowing more than enough spin to be generated on a consistent basis.
The Lowdown
Like with most Babolat racquets, the ability to create the control can become an issue from time-to-time, but with the enhanced sweet-spot and the development of the SWX Pure Feel system, the Pure Drive Tour produced a very consistent and steady feel throughout numerous baseline exchanges.
Perhaps the most enhanced shot in any players game when using the Pure Drive series is the return of serve. Being able to generate power and depth when stretched out wide or returning a body serve, can’t be taken for granted. The high stiffness rating of 70 does go hand-in-hand with the returning prowess of this frame, but I’m sure many players won’t be complaining when they are breaking serve on a regular basis.
Serves Up
Spin and placement on serves was also made easy with the Pure Drive Tour, thanks to the latest update in the frames HTR System. According to Babolat, the “racquet’s graphite layup has been re-engineered for higher torsional rigidity, resulting in more efficient energy transfer to the ball.” Simply put, smashing serves into desired corners won’t be too hard to come by.
Don’t Shy Away from Heavier Racquets
I’ve always stood by the notion that a heavier racquet will provide players with more racquet head speed if they can handle the weight of the racquet. Heavier racquets are better for arm soreness as the vibration of the shot will be minimized. Being a longtime Pure Aero Tour user, I’ve always been drawn to the similarities between these two frames. The Pure Aero Tour has even more power than the Pure Aero Tour, but what the Pure Drive does better is provide more control from the baseline.
Net Returns
With the modern game gravitating more away from the net to baseline at the pro level, club players and even promising juniors still have enough time to get into the net and finish points. The Pure Drive Tour provided the level of balance required to make consistent volleys and overheads to a variety of different positions. Again, the SWX Pure Feel system aided with volleys as it significantly dampened vibrations from the previous Pure Drive models.
All in all, if you have high swing speeds and are in search of a frame that doesn’t require any lead tape to keep the feel and stability of your shots in check, the Babolat Pure Drive Tour 2021 could very well be the racquet for you.
The Babolat Dure Drive 2021 retails for $229 USD and can be purchased at the following retailers.
Babolat (world)
TennisWarehouse (USA)
