Tested racket/specifications:
Brand: Babolat Model: Pure Drive 2021 Head size: 100 sq/inch Weight: 300 grams Balance: 32.0 cm Stringing pattern: 16x19 Length: 27 inch RA: 71 Swingweight: 311 (measured on our 3-in-1 Head SW machine) 320 according to Babolat itself Stringing: Babolat RPM Power Blue 1.25 on 24/23 kg The Babolat Pure Drive 2021 is now available in our webshop, including free stringing of your choice!Tester:
Name: Mike Playing strength: 4/4 Player type: somewhat classic player, flat groundstrokes, doesn't generate a lot of spin himself. Had shoulder problems in the past. Player's racket history: Head Ti Fire, Babolat Pure Drive, Prince EXO3 Rebel Team, Wilson Steam 100 BLX2, Head Graphene Radical MP, Prince Textreme Warrior 107 , Diadem Elevate 98. Other favorite rackets at the moment: Head Graphene 360+ Speed MP and the Babolat Pure Strike 100 .
Test scores Babolat Pure Drive 2021:
Power: 9 Control: 7.5 Spin: 8 Comfort: 8 Agility: 7.5 Touch: 7.5
Technology:
With a new version of a successful racket, the question always arises what is new, besides the paint job. With this Pure Drive 2021, there are 2 striking things. What remains is the well-known round housing around the heart piece. This Elliptic Frame construction provides the stiffness for explosive power. FSI Power technology has also remained and ensures a larger sweet spot and more freedom of movement of the strings through the open 16x19 stringing pattern and special 'diamond' grommets. New is the HTR System , in which a new material structure ensures higher torsional stiffness, especially with balls at high speed. In practice: a more stable playing feel. SWX Pure Feel is also new and provides better vibration damping, more ball feel and a characteristic sound at ball impact.
Baseline:
What a party! The Babolat Pure Drive 2021 performs rock solid from the baseline. Just like its predecessor, the racket continues to deliver a nice portion of free power, only to my mind it feels a little more controlled. This update has clearly gained stability, that is noticeable. Especially in my first hours of playing with the (new string) RPM Power Blue 1.25, the control was more than fine. I could pull through and the balls often fell in just before the baseline. A very nice feeling I can say! As the string lost some tension, the control also deteriorated slightly, but the stability of the racket was very nice and in my opinion a big plus compared to its predecessor. The spin potential is more than fine with this new Pure Drive. The rotation comes off nice and easy, although not as extreme as with the Pure Aero , but the spin is above average.
And then the comfort: Pure Drives are generally not really known as comfort frames. The rackets work with a fairly high RA and are therefore quite stiff. This (high) stiffness also gives the racket the well-known dose of free power. The RA value (stiffness) of this racket is 71, but the Babolat Pure Drive 2021 does not feel that stiff at all. I would rather say mid 60. Crazy how Babolat was able to make such a stiff frame so comfortable!
Service:
I tested this Pure Drive 2021 partly next to the new Head Graphene 360+ Extreme Tour . Where this Extreme Tour was a bit low-powered (especially when serving), this new Pure Drive offered me a nice bit of free service power. I'm not a huge service cannon, but this started to look like it ;) The racket has a lot of service ease and kick - and slice serves are easy to produce. Very nice tool to serve with.
Just:
At the net I lacked a little bit of feeling for subtle volleys. However, hard balls are easy to parry: the frame feels rock solid in that respect! Smash shots are also easy to put away.
Power/control Babolat Pure Drive 2021:
Not entirely unexpectedly, it is power over control with this update of the Pure Drive. Yet the racket feels more consistent than its predecessor due to the improved stability. Of course, a Pure Drive does not offer the control of, for example, the Pure Strike 100 or Pure Strike 16x19 , but the control has clearly improved. And with the improved stability, the less twisting of the racket and therefore the comfort has also improved...
Comfort/arm friendliness :
I am honestly pleasantly surprised by the comfort of the new Pure Drive 2021! So I tested it with a full bed poly: RPM Power Blue at 24/23 kg. Now I have to say that I find this version/colour scheme of the RPM Power (probably due to the coating/paint layer) more comfortable and a bit more flexible than the brown version. But still: it remains a full bed poly (both length and cross strings poly) in a fairly stiff racket. However, I have not had any issues with my arm or shoulder. And especially the shoulder tends to play up when I play a lot and/or experiment with my tools. A very good job by Babolat: the frame has clearly become more comfortable, without losing the characteristic feel and power!