Babolat Pure Drive Vs Babolat Pure Drive Plus – Tennis Racquet Reviews

In 1999, Babolat first debuted their racquets and in 2000 brought them to the US. At first, only a few court specialists were seen using these racquets with the visible Double Line logo on the frame. When more players started using the racquets, this sparked an interest regarding what those two white lines were.

A promising American junior named Andy Roddick, who lossed in the first round of the U.S Juniors Open, switched to the Babolat Pure Drive Plus and proceeded to win the Eddie Herr and Orange Bowl tournaments. He was also closely watched at Wimbledon and the French open. His success had a huge impact on the popularity of these racquets. In fact it is now difficult at any professional tournament not to see a Babolat Racquet. The racquets are stiffer, lighter, and more powerful than the traditional player’s racquet.

There are two types of Babolat Pure Drive; the standard is very light with good racquet head speed, yet offers an above average stability and comfort. This racquet standard requires a certain style of play to get results. That is playing aggressively, hitting hard, and with lots of topspin. The Babolat’s weight and 100 square-inch head make it inviting for net play. The Babolat Pure Drive is effective in hitting slice and kick serves and is maneuverable, yet stable, making it a versatile racquet on serve returns.

The second is the Babolat Pure Drive Plus, which is a slightly longer version of the Pure Drive. The Babolat Plus has more substance and pop. Great control, combined with a 100 square-inch head and extended length, makes the Babolat Plus a natural at net. You are able to generate impressive racquet head speed which results in faster serves. This racquet was born to serve! The Plus requires more preparation on returns than expected for an 11-ounce racquet. The upside is that it’s possible to block big, first serves back effectively with impressive stability. The Babolat Plus is different enough from the Pure Drive to warrant play testing both. It has many of the same attributes with more heft, more reach, and more power. This is a nice ‘tweener that’s almost a player’s racquet. If this is your category of racquet, I suggest giving the Babolat Pure Drive Plus a test drive.

The Babolat Pure Drive is a solid ‘tweener racquet with an extra twist – the Woofer System. This grommet technology seems to really work in cushioning the impact of the ball on the strings, making for a very comfortable feel. Also, while the weight, balance, and swing weight will make it popular with many players as is, they also make it a great “platform” racquet for customizing. The Pure Drive will appeal most to 4.0-5.0 players, although Carlos Moya and Kim Clijsters show us it’s suitable for tour level players as well. I encourage you to take one for a pure test drive. Note: grip sizes have been found to run about 1/2 size large.