Babolat Pure Strike 103 Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 82

Although it weighs in on the lighter end of the spectrum, the Pure Strike 103 gave our team plenty of options from the baseline. Brittany explained, "Having playtested all three generations of the Pure Strike, I was extremely interested to see how a new model with a bigger headsize and lighter weight would fit into the mix. After looking at the specs, the first thing that surprised me was the power level. I found it to be low powered and more control-oriented than other racquets in its spec range. That said, there is more free power in the 103 compared to the rest of the Pure Strike line, and I kept describing it as 'controllable power' to the other playtesters. I preferred to rally with this racquet over playing points for a couple of reasons. During point play, I would experience some instability, and I wasn't hitting as heavy of a ball, especially on attacking or put-away shots."

Tiffani appreciated the shotmaking this racquet provides. She said, "The Pure Strike 103 was an interesting mix of control, fast feel and a generous sweetspot. The racquet had a big sweetspot, in that there wasn't a big drop-off in feel or comfort when I hit outside the middle of the stringbed. It also offered more control than I had anticipated from a 103-square-inch headsize. I didn't have any issues controlling the depth of my shots, and although I'd hardly call myself a spin player, it was easy to add topspin when needed. This racquet is a bit lighter than I would typically play with, but it felt stable for its weight. I really only noticed it felt a bit light on the days I would mix it in while playing with racquets that weigh 11-plus ounces. I enjoyed how easy it was to swing and found it to be great for rallying, but I missed some put-away power during point play."

From the strike of the first ball, Mark knew this racquet gelled with his style of play. He said, "The new Babolat Pure Strike 103 was a fun playtest overall and maybe the most fun for me to play with from the baseline — a great rally stick for sure! The Pure Strike 103 just made sense to me from the backcourt. I was not hitting huge groundstrokes, but I rarely missed any either, which is most often the tactic I deploy anyways. Topspin was very easy to access with its open 16x19 string pattern, yet it was tight enough for me to be able to keep the backhand slice sufficiently low over the net. I tended to use it as a 'reset-the-point' shot."

Jason was pleasantly surprised by how much confidence the Pure Strike 103 gave him during groundstroke battles. He said, "This racquet is seriously easy to swing! The excellent maneuverability and the open string pattern allowed me to hit with tons of spin. I was also surprised by the level of control I had from a racquet like this. I was able to hit tighter windows with this racquet at an above-average percentage. The downside of this racquet is the lack of weight. For me, I'd want an additional 0.5 to 0.7 ounces. It would help with more power to put shots away, as well as keeping it from being pushed around as much against bigger hitters."

Volleys - Score: 79

Our team split into two camps when they hit volleys with the Pure Strike 103. Tiffani found a solid connection. She described, "My favorite aspect of the Pure Strike 103 at net was its maneuverability. I am not the most confident volleyer, but I thought this racquet was easy to use at net. The sweetspot felt big, and I could easily get the racquet out in front of me. Although the racquet is a little on the light side, I found success sticking my volleys."

Mark was most impressed with how the Pure Strike 103 held steady against big hitters. He said, "Crisp, comfortable and clean volleys were easy for me to execute with this new addition to the Pure Strike family of racquets. And although a 285-gram frame weight is typically engineered for maneuverability rather than stability, the Pure Strike 103 held its own until ball speed and spin really ramped up. The majority of the time, it stayed firm in hand without much of a fuss anywhere inside the service line."

"It's lightning quick!" Jason added. "I really enjoyed doing reaction volley drills with this racquet. But during match play and trying to block back hard-hit passing shots, I was missing more mass, especially in the hoop. Like the other racquets in this family, the feel and responsiveness are great."

As smooth as the Pure Strike 103's maneuverability was, Brittany did notice one downside. She said, "The 103 was easy to get into position, and the generous sweetspot made quick volley exchanges a breeze. I found myself mostly punching volleys deep in the court. As I mentioned in groundstrokes, when I was reaching for a ball or returning a hard-hit passing shot attempt, the racquet would flutter in my hand. This is where I wish Babolat had extended the length."

Serves - Score: 82

Due to the Pure Strike 103's low weight, our team found more success hitting with spin and angles than aiming for power. Mark said, "The new Babolat Pure Strike 103 served my game with one surprise after another. It complemented my serve accuracy rather than power, but there was still enough of both to begin points on my own terms. I basically got the same effect on my serve as I did from the baseline, which was comfortably landing shots toward small targets with lots of spin on the ball."

Brittany typically looks to mix in different spins, but she found one to work particularly well here. She said, "The first thing I noticed was how easy it was to generate racquet head speed. It felt effortless to get the racquet up and over my shoulders. I was able to maintain this throughout a match or practice session without getting any arm fatigue. I did find myself mostly hitting slice first serves. I could hit those consistently on both the deuce and ad side. I will note that I felt some flat first serves and some kick second serves were missing a bit of weight behind them and were sitting up for my opponent. However, I was expecting that with this spec."

While Jason was left wanting a bit more heat on his serves, he was pleased with the spin and accuracy this racquet provided. He explained, "It doesn't offer as much pop as I would've liked, but it was super easy to serve with. The amount of spin I could get with the Purer Strike 103 was fantastic, so that helped make my serve a bit more effective. I felt like the control was above average, which was a nice surprise for this type of racquet."

This Pure Strike 103 just wasn't quite enough racquet for Tiffani on serve. She said, "On serve is where I actually missed a bit of weight. I found myself swinging harder than usual in an effort to generate pace on my serves. A lot of them would sit up and allow my opponent to be aggressive with their returns. On the upside, it is easy to maneuver overhead, so keeping my swing speed up throughout even long service games wasn't a problem."

Returns - Score: 81

The Pure Strike 103 was maneuverable and steady against most serves, but our team did notice a point where it started to lose stability. Jason said, "With its super-fast response, this was a great racquet to hit returns with. I could quickly maneuver it into position whether it was to simply block a shot back or to take a big swing at a ball. Unfortunately, the lack of weight is magnified here against bigger hitters, and the racquet would get pushed around."

"As expected, the Pure Strike 103 was nimble on the return of serve and far more stable than I thought possible," added Mark. "I felt especially sneaky and effective hitting my forehand return down the line on both the deuce and ad side, which is a shot I continued to develop throughout the playtest."

Tiffani loved the extra time she had thanks to the Pure Strike 103's excellent maneuverability. She explained, "The quick swing was key for me on returns. I felt like I could take a full swing, which helped me combat some of the instability I was experiencing because this racquet is lighter than my typical choice. The racquet felt controlled as well, so I could be selective with my targets. I preferred to start points on the return with the Pure Strike 103."

Brittany's opinion varied depending on whether she was up against a first or a second serve. She said, "My thoughts on returns are pretty similar to every other stroke. On the one hand, this racquet was maneuverable, and I never felt late (sometimes even a little early). On second serves, I could really step up and hit the ball. I felt in control and could be aggressive. On the other hand, there were times on first serve returns when the racquet was pushed around (especially those 90+ mph shots), and I could feel it twisting in my hand. For the most part, if I took more compact swings and aimed down the middle or at a bigger target, I didn't have any issues."

Overall - Score: 80