Babolat Pure Drive Plus Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 87

The Pure Drive Plus continues its legacy by offering copious amounts of power and spin as well as access to easy depth from the back of the court. Its playability felt very familiar to Chris, who quickly took to to this update. He said, "Having used the 2015 version of the Pure Drive Plus as my racquet of choice, I quickly felt at home on court with this latest version. I loved hitting my backhand slice with this racquet. With just a flick of the wrist, I could drive my slice either down the line or cross court, which enabled me to hold the shot until the last second and keep my opponent guessing. My topspin backhand required less backswing since the racquet brings much more pace than I've become accustomed to with my more control-oriented Tecnifibre TF40 305. With my backswing dialed in, I was enjoying a good mix of pace and spin while hitting with easy depth. I liked the racquet strung up with a fresh set of a firmer playing poly, such as RPM Blast 15L, because it allowed me to take a big cut with my forehand and still keep the ball in. If the string lost tension or I used a softer and livelier string, my forehand would fly too long. Because I'm now used to playing with a more control-oriented racquet with a dense string pattern, it felt like string choice and tension became key with this Pure Drive Plus to keep my depth control in check."

Erik was impressed by how well he could drive his groundstrokes through the court. He said, "I really loved this racquet from the back of the court. I could get easy depth and access to spin. It felt extremely solid and gave me some nice plow through. This racquet felt very stable when I was returning hard shots from my opponents, and I loved its weight. It didn't get pushed around at all, and when I was on the run I was still able to get excellent depth to keep my opponents back at the baseline. This racquet worked great for my game style, and it was quite predictable for the amount of power and spin I was able to generate."

It had been a while since Kristen had played with a longer racquet, so she had a short adjustment period before she remembered why the Pure Drive Plus is such a force to be reckoned with. She explained, "It took me a few minutes to adjust to the Pure Drive Plus after testing some really lightweight, whippy, standard-length racquets, so I noticed the extra length coming around the body at first. But I started to get dialed in after a good 15 minutes of baseline grinding, and the racquet became more and more fun. It was incredibly easy to get good depth with this Pure Drive Plus; spin and power were effortless, and whether I was defending or playing more offensively, it felt like I was hitting a very heavy ball. For an extended-length racquet, it felt maneuverable on groundstrokes. Only when I was pushed out wide and really pressed for timing did I notice it coming around a touch slow, but overall, I didn't need a huge swing for this racquet to do its magic. When I did have the window to take a bigger swing and go for a winner to the open court, I really needed to make sure I was putting spin on the ball. Due to the higher launch angle and all the power coming off the stringbed, it was easy to overhit in those moments."

Having tested various models in the Pure Drive family, Mark was quickly drawn to the playability of this Plus model. He noted, "I played quite a bit with the standard, the Plus and the Tour versions of the Pure Drive, and I felt most effective from the baseline with this Pure Drive Plus model. For me, the 2021 update hid its length well, and it was easy for me to get the tip through contact (aimed at my target), with the ball consistently following my command. The latest Pure Drive Plus has power on tap, along with easy access to topspin and slice. A full bed of a polyester string made that power manageable from the baseline. In conclusion, the new Pure Drive Plus was immediately easy for me to swing, yet I feel it offers room for improvement for my game as well, which is exactly what I want out of a racquet."

Volleys - Score: 87

Extra reach never hurts at net, and this Pure Drive Plus provided it, along with the maneuverability and stability needed to stay in control of the point. The net is where Erik can really put a racquet to the test, and this Pure Drive Plus suited his game just fine. He said, "This racquet was very solid in my hands at net. I really liked its feel, and I felt more connected than I expected. I could hit volleys deep with no issues and liked hitting touch volleys as well."

The extra length balanced out the specs nicely, making this a strong racquet on volleys for Mark. He said, "A 300-gram frame is going to feel a little unstable to me in certain areas of the court, like the net. That said, the new Pure Drive Plus' extra half inch in length supplies enhanced reach, comfort and stability for half, touch or punch-style volleys."

This racquet had all the ingredients Chris needed to move forward with confidence and play with variety. He explained, "I have always enjoyed how the various Pure Drive Plus iterations have performed at net, and this version was no exception. The racquet felt light and fast in my hand. I was able to punch volleys away and finish points quickly since there was plenty of power on tap. While the Pure Drive Plus doesn't offer a soft, plush and connected feel, I found the response to be very predictable, which translated to lots of control. My drop volleys and angles were working well, and I felt like I had a lot of options when attacking the net with this racquet."

Kristen felt at ease at the net with the Pure Drive Plus in hand. She said, "No complaints from me up at net; it felt like the racquet did all the work! I had enough time to get into position and could easily block back volleys deep or direct balls more aggressively to the open court to close out the point."

Serves - Score: 85

The Pure Drive name has become synonymous with power, and the Pure Drive Plus lives up to that reputation on serves. Matched with easy spin, this racquet had all the makings of a true service weapon. Chris described, "I loved serving with the Pure Drive Plus. From the very first serve I hit, I was reminded why I had switched to a Pure Drive Plus back in 2015. I had effortless power on the first serves to the T and some additional pace on my slice serves. I was able to generate lots of spin on second serves, so I could keep the pace high without sacrificing consistency."

Mark felt that this racquet gave his service game a boost. He said, "I might name groundstroke as my favorite shot with the Pure Drive Plus, but serving with it would be a tight second. I got the same feeling on serves as I did with my groundstrokes: It's immediately easy to serve with but is also a racquet that I could improve that shot with. Shaping my serve with spin or hitting a flatter shot was possible with the Pure Drive Plus, which added a little more variety and disguise to that part of my game."

Once she dialed in the feel of the extended frame overhead, Kristen could start to take advantage of the extra length. She said, "The first time I served with this updated Pure Drive Plus, I remember it being a little devoid of feel off the stringbed. The previous iteration was very crisp off the stringbed, allowing me to dial in the feel right away, but with this racquet I needed a bit more time to find my groove. After some adjusting, I found I was able to start hitting consistent serves that were landing deep in the box with loads of spin. The more I got used to the feel of swinging it overhead, the more I was able to adjust my swing speed and use that extra reach to my advantage, tapping into more power."

Erik continued to be won over by the Pure Drive Plus. He added, "This racquet was great on serves. It was super easy to hit deep with lots of spin, and thanks to the extended length, I could get really nice pop on my serves. I could also hit a safe second serve deep in the box with lots of clearance over the net."

Returns - Score: 85

Our testers found it easy to stay aggressive when returning with the Pure Drive Plus, but they could also block back serves effectively when needed. "This was truly a weapon on returns!" said Kristen. "I really loved returning with this racquet; it allowed me to take on whatever was thrown at me. It was easy to block back heavy serves and easy to go big. Similar to groundstrokes, it felt like I was always coming through the ball with good mass behind my shots and coming up with a heavy, powerful ball."

The Pure Drive Plus' specs really clicked with Chris on returns. He said, "Having a blend of maneuverability and stability is ideal for me on returns, and I had exactly that with this racquet. I really liked the feel of the Pure Drive Plus. I thought it was muted just enough to make a stiff racquet feel comfortable, yet not so much as to leave me feeling disconnected from the ball. All of my returns were working well, and I felt confident driving, blocking and chipping my shots. My cross-court topspin returns had lots of pace and spin, and I felt like I could often go the offensive with a well-hit return."

This racquet's stability and maneuverability helped Erik stay on the offensive. He said, "I really enjoyed blocking back first serve returns with this Pure Drive Plus. It was extremely solid and did not waver in my hands if the serve was coming in fast. I could really attack the second serves and hit returns deep to keep my opponents back at the baseline and in a defensive position. For the length, the racquet was quite maneuverable in my hand, and I could get it into position quickly."

As was the case on serves, Mark felt that the Pure Drive Plus aided his return game. He explained, "It is not my strongest or most reliable shot, but my return of serve was easier to hit and more effective using the 2021 Pure Drive Plus than any other racquet in recent memory. Even with the extra length, the balance of the Pure Drive Plus provided my return of serve swing style with the right contrast between maneuverability and stability."

Overall - Score: 86