This week at the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters, Babolat player Dominic Thiem took to the court with a new, unpainted racket from Babolat called ProjectOne7. What could it be?
The new Babolat Pure Strike 17 (One7) series will be released in September 2017; the ProjectOne7 rackets were its prototypes!
Last year, at the same Monte Carlo Rolex Masters, Rafa Nadal took to the court with a new, unpainted frame from Babolat. Later in 2015, the Babolat Pure Aero was released—the Spaniard's current racket and the successor to the Babolat Aeropro Drive.
Now it's the turn of the world No. 14, Austrian Dominic Thiem, who normally plays with the Babolat Pure Strike. Does this mean we'll get a successor to the Pure Strike and Pure Control racket family on 1/7, with both lines merging into one new racket line? It certainly seems possible. Pure Strike rackets are being sold online at unbelievably low prices, perhaps to make way for a new Babolat racket family.
Specifications for these Babolat ProjectOne7 rackets are not available, but various images show rackets with 16/19 and 18/20 string patterns. So there are likely several prototypes in circulation. In the images shown here, the frames have a 16/19 string pattern. The shaft of the ProjectOne7 rackets:
The Babolat ProjectOne7 rackets have a sleek, slim shaft that looks very similar to that of the Pure Strike rackets, and less like the box-beam-style construction of the Pure Control series. Still, there appear to be small, subtle changes, particularly to the shaft's contours. While Babolat's flagship Pure Aero and Pure Drive series cater exceptionally well to power- and spin-oriented players, these ProjectOne7 rackets seem set to appeal to players seeking a mix of control and power from the French brand.
We’ll be putting the ProjectOne7 rackets to the test soon! Check mijnracket.nl and our Facebook page regularly for updates! Click here to read our second post about Babolat’s #projectone7, including the first racket specs!
