Babolat Pure Aero 98 2026 Review

When exchanging groundstrokes from the baseline, everyone seemed to fall in love with the latest Pure Aero 98 thanks to its combination of performance and accessibility. Despite her history with Babolat's Pure Drive line, Michelle found herself crushing the ball with confidence with the Pure Aero 98 2026. She described, "I have never been a Pure Aero player, but I guess that all changes with the Pure Aero 98 2026. I have always resonated better with the Pure Drive family, probably due to my flatter mechanics, but after hitting with the Pure Aero 98 2026 for the first time, I wanted to make the switch. I loved how easy it was to hit with it from the baseline, and it did everything well. I didn't have to change my mechanics, and when I wanted to switch up the pace or change directions, the racquet did what I asked of it. I am happy with the plow through I get from heavier racquets, but I could hold the ball longer and manipulate the shot I wanted with this Pure Aero 98. Looking at our Zenniz smart court data, my pace and spin were higher on average with this Pure Aero 98 compared to the Pure Drive 98 and Yonex VCORE 98. I had more RPMs on my groundstrokes but hit the ball lower over the net, so while my shots looked 'flat,' my balls were tighter with spin, and I could spit them out fast, hard and deep to attack my opponents. My backhand is a continuous work in progress after having surgery on my left side last year, and I have been hitting more slices off that wing. The Pure Aero was nearly flawless on that shot; I could keep the ball low and penetrate through the court effectively."

Chris enjoyed the new Pure Aero 98's inherent spin capability and upped his aggression from the baseline to attack more often and more successfully. He said, "I was fortunate enough to test the Pure Aero 98 2026 against the previous model, with both racquets matched identically for weight, balance and swingweight. From the very first shot, I could feel how much faster through the air the new Pure Aero 98 felt. I was ahead of the ball on my first few swings. Once dialed in, I found I could do more with the ball with this update. My faster swing speeds gave me more spin and shape on my shots. The level of all of my shots improved, and I was able to attack with more confidence. I found myself looking to close out points faster and play more aggressive tennis thanks to the margin of error I had using this racquet. The impact felt slightly plusher than the previous model, but I was left wondering if that was due to the added racquet head speed I was generating. I would say flat shots felt more similar in terms of trajectory, control and pace. The big difference for me was that my topspin and slice shots had more bite."

This Pure Aero 98 exceeded Zsofi's expectations, and she was able to incorporate lots of slice and touch without compromising on the weight of her groundstrokes. She explained, "The Pure Aero 98 holds a very special place in my heart. It was my racquet of choice for a while, so I came into this playtest with pretty high expectations, and this racquet did not let me down. I absolutely loved the Pure Aero 98 2026 on the baseline! I was also getting great power, but there was a balance of control and power. I especially enjoyed the Pure Aero 98 2026 on slices and touch shots. I just felt very connected to the racquet and was getting a clean response, which really allowed me to trust my touch shots. I truly don't mind the stiffness levels of this frame, which you might consider a bit stiffer than some other racquets on the market. It felt great to me."

Jason had such a positive experience with the Pure Aero 98 2026 that he officially made the switch to it. He said, "This racquet really shines from the baseline. I was a big fan of the previous Pure Aero 98, and this version feels even more maneuverable and easier to swing. The 16x20 string pattern provides extra control, giving me the confidence to take bigger cuts, and thanks to its 'whipability,' I can still generate plenty of RPMs on my forehand to help the ball dip into the court. My Zenniz data confirmed what I was feeling on court, which was more effortless depth on both my forehands and backhands."

Up at net, the Pure Aero 98 2026 continued to dazzle with its versatility and obedience, letting our team members volley confidently across the board. Despite being a little more averse to net play, Jason had a great time volleying with this racquet. He said, "I loved how quick the Pure Aero 98 2026 felt on my volleys. I could easily get the racquet into position, whether it was a body shot or one I had to stretch for. I could easily execute overheads too, and the Pure Aero 98 2026 did have enough pop to put shots away."

A large part of Zsofi's game is her excellent net play, and the Pure Aero 98 was more than up to her standards in this area. She said, "I especially love this new Pure Aero 98 on touch volleys! I felt super connected to the racquet, which allowed me to fully trust my shots and commit to some even riskier angles. Maneuverability was also great, and I was able to prepare the racquet head fast."

Chris also relies heavily on his crafty net play, and the Pure Aero 98 performed nearly perfectly for his purposes. He described, "I volleyed well with the Pure Aero 98 2026. The racquet felt solid at impact, and I had good directional control of my shots. I liked the spin I was able to get when cutting under the ball, and it helped me angle volleys away. I found ample power to help me hit high volleys with pace and depth. I was also impressed by the feel of the Pure Aero 98 2026 and had good touch on my shots."

Michelle didn't see anything off the charts when volleying, but she noted high levels of reliability that let her get extra creative at net. She explained, "I enjoyed volleying with this Pure Aero 98 2026. In all honesty, Nothing really stood out at the net, but I think that's because I was loving the racquet from the baseline mainly. When I got to the net I never had to worry about anything because the Pure Aero 98 2026 did what I asked of it. Since I started playing more padel I am hitting shots I never would have hit a year ago, and this racquet really was a bit of a toy in that regard because I could carve out fun shots, like taking a high forehand and slicing it into the corner or dropping a short ball without hesitation. I never had to second guess my shot selection because the Pure Aero 98 2026 was so obedient."

Serving with the Pure Aero 98 2026 continued to highlight its excellence, emphasized by heavy spin production. Michelle felt confident going for flat and slice serves. She said, "Similar to my experience with groundies, I just felt in complete command over the ball when serving. When it was windy and I was struggling with toss location, I could make a last-minute decision to slice around the ball instead of trying to go completely flat. I could also disguise my serves better with this racquet. Power, pace and spin were all readily available for first and second serves."

Chris also found excellent serving capability with the Pure Aero 98 2026, and he particularly enjoyed his ability to shape shots with more aggressive movement. He said, "The Pure Aero 98 2026 is a great serving racquet. While it doesn't quite have the power I got from the Pure Aero Plus 2026, it gets close and has better accuracy. As I found on groundstrokes, access to spin was very impressive. My slice serves were working well, and I was able to give the net plenty of clearance and still get the ball to dip nicely inside the box."

The Pure Aero 98 2026 upped Zsofi's power in an area she doesn't typically rely on, making her game even more dangerous. She said, "I'm not a big server in the sense that I don't really rely on my serves that much, but I felt like my serve became a true weapon with this Pure Aero 98 2026! I was able to tap into that extra power for my serves, and it for sure helped me in that area."

Jason also noticed additional pace on his serves with the Pure Aero 98 2026. He explained, "Whether I was going for a big first serve or spinning in a second, I thought the Pure Aero 98 2026 was fantastic. I definitely noticed some extra pop on my serves (compared to my previous racquet of choice, the Head Gravity MP), and I was still getting tons of spin."

Our team found themselves swinging big on returns with the new Pure Aero 98 2026. Jason leaned into his aggressive baseline game, saying, "This Pure Aero 98 2026 inspired me to swing big on returns. The tighter string pattern, combined with the easy access to topspin, gave me the confidence to take huge cuts at the ball. Even when I had to chip a return, I could keep it low or deep, buying myself plenty of time to recover for the next shot."

Zsofi had a great time both slapping and slicing her returns. She said, "I especially enjoyed this racquet on forehand returns. I had the sensation that I could confidently slap the ball back and it would still go in! On backhands, I had a tendency to opt for slice returns, mainly because I just loved the touch I was getting from the racquet."

The Pure Aero 98 encouraged Michelle to go for a variety of returns. She described, "Stability is always put to the test for me when I return with a racquet, and I am happy to report this Pure Aero 98 2026 passed that test. I really felt like I could hold my shot longer and then manipulate the return, relying on big returns down the line, shorter cross-court angles or deep shots through the corners of the court."

Chris noted good directional control, and he reveled in his ability to swing big with heavy spin. He said, "I loved the response of this Pure Aero 98 on returns. With it being so fast and easy to swing, I felt confident taking returns early and being aggressive. My block returns were also working well. The racquet felt solid and comfortable, and it offered good directional control. However, I liked the Pure Aero 98 2026 the most when taking a good rip at the ball. I enjoyed the spin and pace I was able to generate."