As one of the first, mijnracket.nl is reviewing the new Babolat Pure Aero, successor to the legendary Babolat Aeropro Drive. The Pure Aero offers more spin and more mass behind the ball in a faster, more aerodynamic frame!

Brand: Babolat
Model: Pure Aero
Head size: 100 sq/inch
Weight: 300 g
Balance: 32.0 cm
String pattern: 16/19
Length: 27 inches
RA: 72 (unstrung), RA 69 strung

From now on, all Babolat racket lines will start with Pure, such as the Pure Drive, Pure Strike and Pure Control. Following this trend, we now have the Pure Aero too. A new name, but the successor to the well-known Babolat Aeropro Drive. The Babolat Pure Aero retains the specs of the Aeropro Drive: a 100 sq/inch head, 300 grams (unstrung), a balance of 32.0 and a 16/19 string pattern. Even so, the Pure Aero has plenty of new features:

• The new Aeromodular 2 frame design reduces air resistance even further, allowing for faster swings
• The well-known Babolat Woofer technology (where the strings are not seated flat in the frame but run over curves, making it easier for them to grip the ball) and Active Cortex technology (a built-in damping system that runs from the shaft into the grip) are now built into the frame itself rather than being external. This helps reduce air resistance
• FSI SPIN creates a larger sweet spot by redistributing the string bed and increases interaction between the frame and strings. The result is more ball rotation thanks to the extra grip on the ball, and therefore more spin
• The new, wider grommets at 6 and 12 o’clock in the racket also give the strings more freedom of movement, resulting in more spin and a larger optimal hitting area, and therefore greater comfort on off-center hits

The Aeromodular 2 frame design of the Pure Aero (right) versus that of the Aeropro Drive

The Woofer and Active Cortex technologies integrated into the new Pure Aero

The redesigned string bed with FSI technology on the Pure Aero (right) compared with the string bed of the Aeropro Drive

The new, wider grommets at 6 and 12 o’clock in the head of the Babolat Pure Aero. 

Babolat Pure Aero review

Thanks to its improved aerodynamics, you can swing through the ball faster. Despite having the same static weight (300 grams) and balance (32.0 cm) as the Aeropro Drive, the Babolat Pure Aero puts more mass behind the ball. This is due to a redistribution of weight in the racket. More weight has been shifted towards the head and grip of the racket to increase swingweight, as it is known. The result is that it is easier to hit heavier topspin shots, the racket feels more stable at impact, and it is more comfortable on the arm for off-center hits because the racket twists less.

Compared with the Aeropro Drive, this makes the Babolat Pure Aero slightly less manoeuvrable, but more solid and powerful. The extra mass of the racket makes it very easy to switch from defense to attack. The 16/19 string pattern remains unchanged, but the strings are spaced farther apart. This has two major benefits: the main strings have more freedom to move and grab and release the ball. This extra ‘snapback’ creates more acceleration and ball rotation. It also gives the strings more grip on the ball. Together, these two factors contribute to unprecedented topspin. This is further enhanced by the enlarged grommets at the top and bottom of the head. This also gives the Babolat Pure Aero a slightly softer feel and greater comfort. These racket characteristics are best experienced with a polyester string. Another advantage is that polyester strings score highly for durability, which is especially useful with this more widely spaced string bed.

The new Babolat Pure Aero is a great blend of power, control and spin. According to Babolat, it is their best spin machine ever! The Babolat Pure Aero is now available in our webshop! See here for an overview of the entire new Pure Aero racket line.