Babolat Pure Drive Tour Plus Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 85

With plenty of pop to put balls away from the baseline, the extra leverage of the Pure Drive Tour Plus helped our playtesters hit heavy shots deep into the court. However, like the version it replaces, this racquet became a little demanding for some of our playtesters. Chris explained, "When I had time to set up on my forehand I could crush the ball. However, I often found myself rolling the ball into play with this racquet. The weight and balance combined with the added length just enough to take the Pure Drive Tour Plus out of my comfort zone at the start of the test. I could play some really consistent tennis with it, but I could get into trouble when attacking because I needed more time to set up. As the test wore on I managed to adjust to the racquet better, however, I continued to struggle to pick up balls hit deep around my feet since I couldn't flick the racquet through fast enough. That aside, I did enjoy the solid feel very much. The racquet felt great on my slice backhand, where I could put the length and weight to good use. I felt like I could attack best with that shot, and I could hit a very driving slice."

Karly was testing the standard length Pure Drive Tour at the same time, and the difference between the two racquets was immediately noticeable. She noted, "It's hard to believe how just an extra half-inch of length can generate so much more leverage and depth! I was hitting with more velocity, closer to the baseline and with less net clearance. I loved being able to use the racquet's weight and leverage to hit deep, powerful shots. Similar to the standard length Pure Drive Tour, this racquet is very stable and has a rock solid feel. I enjoyed driving through the ball because of its stability and powerful response. However, that longer length also kicked up the swingweight quite a bit. The maneuverability was definitely slower than most racquets, but it wasn't unmanageable. I just had to adjust my stroke and make sure I was swinging earlier than normal. I only got into trouble with the maneuverability when I was trying to change directions quickly while on the defensive. It was a hefty racquet that required a lot of effort for me to hit the ball early and on the rise."

"Let's just say this racquet is a beast on groundstrokes and pretty much every other shot," said Troy. "This racquet had a hefty feel to it and has power in abundance. My favorite part about this Plus version of the Pure Drive Tour was the extended handle length. I typically choke up on the handle (especially on my two-handed backhand), so this longer handle provided a nice feel. The added power of this extended version made it easy to get depth during long baseline rallies. The Plus also helped me get added reach when I was in a defensive position trying to extend the point. Overall, I favored the Pure Drive Tour Plus over the standard length from the baseline."

Finding this to be a bit of a guilty pleasure, Michelle loved drilling with this racquet but realized it wasn't the best option for her to compete with. She explained, "It was a dream to drill with because I had time to set up and I wasn't worried if I was missing. When I stepped into point play it was slightly more demanding and a bit of a different story. During point play with this racquet I could easily get myself back into the point by blocking balls back with depth. However, this racquet packed a little too much power for me when going for my put-aways. I tried to remain disciplined and strictly stick to cross-court winners, but I love hitting winners up the line, and if I didn't come through the ball at just the right time I was slightly late or overhitting. I did notice that the sweetspot was higher, but it was creating too much power for me and I was missing put-away shot by an inch or two that I normally make. The plow through provided by this racquet was awesome, and it felt amazing when I stepped up and cracked short balls, but I probably would be a little of wary of taking it into a match."

Volleys - Score: 81

When it came to volleying, our playtesters made good use of the Pure Drive Tour Plus'extra half-inch and rock solid feel. Much like the standard length Tour, our playtesters found it easy to access their inner attacking game. The extra length was great for Karly, and it offered her more reach when she was volleying. That length came with a small downside, however, as she found it harder to maneuver. She said, "The Tour Plus felt very sluggish on volleys, and it was tough to react fast. Luckily, this racquet had a very lively response and good stability, so as long as I made contact I didn't have to put a whole lot of effort into hitting a hard shot back. The ball jumped off my racquet with enough power to make an aggressive volley. The Tour Plus did most of the work for me; all I had to do was make sure it was in the right position."

As with the standard length Pure Drive Tour, this racquet's stability and the easy-to-achieve depth made it easy for Troy to be aggressive at the net. He added, "The extended length took some adjustment initially, and the Tour Plus felt a bit sluggish, but I was able to adapt after a few hours of play. I liked the extra reach I got from the added half-inch, which helped when I was poaching in doubles. I have a slight preference for the standard length version at the net because it's slightly easier to maneuver."

"I liked this racquet at the net, for the most part, because it was easy for me to put balls away, and it was so stable while giving me a great wingspan," said Michelle. "Also, with the extra length I could easily dig out balls at my feet. However, I struggled when balls were hit right into my body (mainly when I drilled with Mark and Troy because their lefty shots catch me right in the middle of my body). On those shots the racquet was a bit hard to maneuver into the right spot and I struggled to get the racquet out of the middle of my body. Other than that, anything away from my body was easy to put away or volley deep into the court."

Chris handled this racquet much better at the net because the more compact nature of his volleys made this racquet's weight feel more natural. He said, "I loved the solid response, and it was working well for me. My defensive volleys were more effective because I was getting more stick on the ball. When looking to get volleys away I found some added zip to help get the job done. This was also a great fit for me when adding spin to volleys. I found it easy to cut under the ball, and the racquet offered a nice solid feel that let me know exactly how much spin and bite I was getting."

Serves - Score: 84

The length, mass, precision and plow through all came together perfectly when serving with the Pure Drive Tour Plus. This beast of a racquet had Troy hitting with loads of power, spin and kick. "The added length increased the pop I was getting on first serves, and I was more consistent on my flat first serves. The added half-inch even made me feel a bit taller. Slice and kick serves were coming in heavy and caused some frustration for my opponents. The control wasn't as good as some of the smaller head-size racquets that I have used in the past, but the power helped me look past that. Overall, this is the most fun racquet to serve with on the market, and maybe Andy Roddick felt the same."

Michelle appreciated the raw power she could get out of this racquet on serve, but she did struggle a bit to get the timing right on her first serves. She said, "I was easily hitting first serves in the 100s, so I loved getting all that power without having to overexert. I also found it really easy to hit slice serves. I was rewarded with lots of kick as well when I hit a kick serve. The biggest adjustment was just getting used to that extra length on first serves and snapping down on the ball consistently."

By far, Chris' favorite shot to hit with this racquet was the serve. He was getting lots of pace on both first and second serves. He offered, "Fortunately, I was able to get lots of spin to help me control all of the power. This racquet also felt accurate on flat serves. I liked the predictable response from the stringbed, and it encouraged me to be aggressive even in pressure situations in matches. I liked going for a big serve and chasing it in to net with this racquet."

Out of all the Pure Drive racquets she has played with, Karly loved serving with this version the most. She said, "It was the perfect example of a racquet that offers controlled power. The extra weight and length provided exceptional power, but it was never overwhelming. I was using the racquet's mass and leverage to produce my own power and place the ball where I wanted. If anything, it was harder to hit my second serves. I had to put more energy into brushing over the ball for a kick serve, but with its lively response and plow through, putting in the extra effort was well worth it. I loved how effective my serves were with this racquet."

Serve Returns - Score: 85

When dialed in, our playtesters found their returns to be very effective, and they could hit powerful, deep shots with the Pure Drive Tour Plus. However, some noted a bit of sluggishness and lack of control if their timing was slightly off when returning. Michelle had no complaints when it was time to step up and return with the Pure Drive Tour Plus. She felt invincible, saying, "I loved returning with this racquet! With the extra length and power I could take returns early and out in front and just dictate the point right off my return. This was hands down my favorite shot to hit with this racquet. Maybe it was mental, but with that extra half-inch I felt like I could cover any serve hit at me, even my weak spots that I don't always cover well when returning."

On the other hand, Chris found this to be the one shot where he had to exercise some caution with this racquet. He explained, "I was fine if the serve sat up or if I really focused on being compact, but when I was rushed or got too eager I often found myself a little off. I was hitting a tad late with this one if I wasn't careful due to the high swingweight and the added length. I found it a lot of racquet to drive through the ball on my backhand, so I pretty much stuck to hitting slice on that side. I was hitting my forehand better, although I never quite found the freedom I had with the Pure Drive Plus or the standard length Pure Drive Tour."

When she was able to make contact and time it right, Karly returned extremely well with this racquet. Like on her groundstrokes, she was hitting with more pace and her shots were landing deeper in the court. She added, "Not only was I hitting harder, but making contact felt very stable. The racquet had a solid response that made it easy to drive through the ball. The only problem was the sluggish mobility. It wasn't the easiest racquet to bring back quickly so returning against hard servers was intimidating."

Finding good pace and depth on his returns was Troy. He said, "Compared to the standard length I felt the maneuverability wasn't as good as the standard length Drive Tour. When it came to power and ease of depth, this Plus version delivered more than the standard length. This racquet made it easy to block back returns effectively when I didn't have the ability to take a swing. I didn't find as much precision as I have with the RF97 when I had to return into a small window in doubles, but I really liked returning with this racquet in singles."

Overall - Score: 84

Technical Specifications Length 27.5 inches 69 centimeters Head Size 100 square inches 645 square centimeters Weight 11.7 ounces 332 grams Balance Point 12.88 inches 33 centimeters 5pts Head Light Construction 23.5mm / 26mm / 23mm Composition Graphite String Pattern 16 Mains / 19 Crosses

Babolat RDC Ratings Score Grade Flex Rating 71 Range: 0-100 Swing Weight 331 Range: 200-400

Scores

(Scores are determined by averaging individual play test scores)

Playtester Profiles

Chris: 4.5 all-court player currently using the Wilson Six.One 95S. Chris uses a full-western forehand grip, has a fast swing style and hits a one-handed backhand.

Karly: 4.0 baseline player currently playing with the Volkl Organix 10 Mid. She hits with a semi-western forehand grip and uses a two handed backhand.

Troy: 5.0 lefty all-court player with a full Western Forehand and a two-handed backhand. Troy currently plays with a Wilson BLX Six.One 95.

Michelle: Open level baseline player with a semi-western forehand and a two handed backhand. She currently plays with the Babolat Pure Drive Roddick.

Review date: December 2014. If you found this review interesting or have further questions or comments please contact us.

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