Babolat Pure Drive 2021 Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 85

The Pure Drive is well known and much beloved for its easy power and playability. When it came to groundstrokes, our global team of playtesters found some familiar aspects, but also some changes. US-based playtester Brittany explained, "With my history with the Pure Drive dating back to juniors, I always look forward to every update. I was surprised that I had a short one- to two-hour adjustment period with the newest iteration, mostly due to the launch angle. I was hitting shorter than expected at first, but I started to dial in my shots after a bit. Just like with past models, there was easy power and spin, and I had no problem generating racquet head speed. I could be aggressive even on defensive shots. I definitely had some extra mphs on my approach shots, resulting in fewer passing shots coming back."

Another longtime fan of the Pure Drive, Michelle was in familiar territory. She said, "I found similar levels of power and spin from the first ball strike. I often refer to the Pure Drive as a 'guilty pleasure,' and this update was no exception. However, the sweetspot felt more defined in this update, and the feel was maybe slightly crisper. If I had to be a bit critical, I did find the sweetspot to be a little lower than where I strike the ball. In many of the previous versions the entire stringbed felt like a big sweetspot, which is good, but also sometimes rewarded poor strokes and lazy footwork on my end. This update offered more feedback and allowed me to find a defined sweetspot. Unlike previous versions, this racquet knifed through backhand slices beautifully. I have struggled with that in the past, and the specs haven't changed dramatically, so it was a nice surprise. As with most versions of the Pure Drive, I did find it best when I aimed for big targets; it was easy to overhit when the adrenaline was pumping. I reined in some power by stringing a poly a bit higher."

Testing on the clay courts for TW Europe, Julie also reflected on her experience with previous versions. She said, "Having played with the Pure Drive for more than eight years, I was so excited to finally lay my hands on this new model. From the very first day of playtesting, it felt as if I had never stopped playing with a Pure Drive. I could let my shots go without fear of the balls bouncing out, and I found the spin I needed for net clearance and great depth. Like all the other Pure Drives, power came easily, and stability was impressive for its weight class. I had a blast dropping missiles around the court! Another thing I noticed was the improved comfort. Even though the sweetspot didn't feel bigger, I felt fewer vibrations on my off-center shots, which helped me hit big with even more confidence. The racquet felt a bit more stable and slightly more muted, yet the ball was sinking into the stringbed better than the previous version, which helped me feel more connected to the ball. I was also impressed with my backhand slices. This is not my best shot, but I was able to switch up the pace pretty easily in an intense rally with the ball sitting nice and low. One small critique I can give this racquet is that it gets me too excited. I always catch myself overhitting, and that is no good when you aren't Andy Roddick."

Also testing on Germany's red clay, Zsofi was the playtester who was most surprised by this update's performance. She said, “I was a bit skeptical coming into this playtest. I don't really have a history with the Pure Drive, and somehow never really got into it, but I was impressed as soon as I picked up the new Pure Drive 2021. I just had so much fun with it! I got very easy power from the baseline, along with easy depth and great comfort. The racquet didn't get pushed around that much; I felt like I was able to come back easily, even from a defensive position, to dictate the point. My favorite shot with this racquet has to be the backhand slice. It just felt very smooth, and I had a good feel for where the ball was going to go. Overall, it had great control and power with seemingly low effort. "

Chiming in from the Southern Hemisphere, Tennis Only playtester Jaye was happy to play heavy-hitting tennis. He described, "The Pure Drive felt firm and comfortable to me, and it was generally a much more enjoyable experience than the previous version. It came through my contact zone quicker with a bigger sweetspot, giving me the confidence to swing big and not worry about mis-hitting the ball."

Tennis Only's Hayden also has a history with this line and has called the Pure Drive Plus his racquet of choice. He said, "I feel like Babolat has focused on and improved the comfort and stability of this racquet. Not only did I feel more connected to the ball than with the previous version, but I felt confident enough to go out and play a match after just one or two hits.”

Volleys - Score: 83

Some might call the Pure Drive a baseliner's dream, but you'll find plenty of doubles players attacking the net with one, from the ATP and WTA through the amateur ranks. Our playtesters also found plenty to like when volleying with this racquet. As Julie tells it, the net is where this update stood out most. She said, "I'm currently working on my volley technique, and the Pure Drive definitely helped me get dialed in. It felt super crisp and responsive overall. It was so quick to maneuver when a ball came fast to the body, and I was able to simply get my hands out and punch the ball back into the court. My slices felt great with this stick, and I found the same sensation up at net on my drop volleys. The ball never flew off the stringbed, and it bounced nicely right behind the net. I think volleying with the Pure Drive was my favorite aspect of this playtest. It's the perfect racquet for aggressive baseliners to come finish the point at net."

Aggressive baseliner is an apt description of Michelle's game style, and she proved Julie's point, saying, "We like to use the term 'point and shoot' around here when racquets are easy to volley with, and this Pure Drive was very user friendly at the net. It felt maneuverable and solid — just enough to block anything back and add enough power for me to keep my foot on the gas."

Zsofi, too, plays an aggressive game from the backcourt, but she was confident coming forward with this new Pure Drive. She explained, "The racquet feels super stable at the net, and volleys were one of the highlights of the playtest. The new Pure Drive definitely felt smoother than the previous version, and it did not really get pushed around at the net. I had easy depth and great confidence in my volleys."

When he had to venture forward, Hayden also found the racquet got the job done at the net. He said, "I don't like to volley very much, but when I had to, I had enough stability with this Pure Drive to be able to block balls back efficiently."

Like Hayden, Jaye typically prefers to stay back, but he noted that this racquet was a good fit for his playing style when he did approach the net. He said, "I don't like to volley too much, and I would say that if you're a traditional serve-and-volley player, the Pure Drive isn't going to give you the pinpoint accuracy that you typically need. However, the sweetspot was large and the racquet was stable, so for a 100-square-inch racquet, this is up there as one of my favorites."

Brittany added, "Although the Pure Drive isn't known for having a plush feel, I felt that Babolat made this update more dampened and more comfortable. While I prefer a crisper feel, I still had success at net. I was able to get the racquet into position and punch the volley back deep, and I never felt it twisting in my hand. This allowed me to continue to play aggressively up at net."

Serves - Score: 87

When it comes to serving, the Pure Drive's ability to boost your power level is nearly the stuff of legend, and our team once again found truth in the story. Jaye found that this racquet pumped up his already powerful serves. He said, "Big-time serves! Flat bombs and kicking balls were a breeze with this racquet. I think it's one of the easiest racquets to serve fast with, and if you're struggling to find that extra speed naturally in your motion, you'll find that the Pure Drive's easy power will give you the help you need."

True to her past experiences, Brittany loved serving with this version of the Pure Drive. She said, "My favorite shot to hit with this racquet was hands down the serve. It always has been and always will be. There is just something about stepping up to the baseline with a Pure Drive in hand. The easy power on my first serve gave me a bump in free points during a set. There was enough spin and depth on my second serve that I felt confident starting the point in a neutral to offensive position. In doubles, I felt like I could aim and successfully hit small targets, allowing me to execute more advanced doubles strategies."

Hayden joined the chorus of praise, adding, "The new Pure Drive was really easy to serve with. It was a joy to bang hard flat serves, and the sound it produced on a clean shot was something to admire — a pure and loud crack."

Michelle also had no complaints on this stroke. She said, "I was super happy with how aggressively I could serve with this Pure Drive. It definitely allowed me to get the pace going on first serves. I was also pleased with how much spin I could generate on kick and slice serves. Much like previous generations, this is a fun racquet to serve with. My targeting felt more dialed in with this update as well."

Despite loving the racquet's serving power, the team in Europe struggled a bit with control. Zsofi solved this issue with spin. She explained, "On serves, I did struggle a bit with adjusting from my racquet of choice to this Pure Drive. My flat first serves could be a little too long with the Pure Drive, so I found myself getting more control with some added slice, which I normally only prefer on my second serves."

Julie thought some customization might be in order. She said, "The Pure Drive is so powerful and easy to maneuver that I was able to generate plenty of racquet speed to crush the ball on my first serves and kick the ball effectively on my second serves. The firmness and crisp feel came into play nicely for great pop as well. However, I would have liked more precision on big first serves. I was trying to generate as much speed as possible, and I was losing a bit of control in the process. I think this could have been fixed by adding a little bit of weight at the hoop."

Returns - Score: 85

Our playtesters thought the Pure Drive made it easy to be aggressive with returns, and they were pleased to see that the racquet didn't deviate from the formula that's made it so popular. However, as Michelle explained, harnessing this racquet's inherent power is key. She said, "This is where the Pure Drive can get a bit too dangerous in my hands; by that I mean, I have a tendency to go for too much and swing too big. I have to admit, it seemed like this new Pure Drive felt a bit more control-oriented in this area. I could get away with bigger swings, and I felt a bit more precise compared to previous versions of this racquet."

Like Michelle, Julie needed to find her happy medium. She said, "I almost felt invincible on returns ... until I got excited again and started going too big. The responsiveness and quickness of the racquet allowed me to hit the ball aggressively and very early. However, I had some difficulty controlling the ball when I wanted to return with a higher launch angle. In this situation, I usually tend to take a step back, decelerate my arm speed and let the racquet play, but my balls were falling short with the Pure Drive. Therefore, when my opponent was trying to hit big serves, I was replying with bigger returns. I had to make sure to aim at larger targets than usual because more power generation also meant less control."

The easy power also tempted Brittany to sometimes overhit. She offered some guidance on quelling the pace, saying, "The Pure Drive is one of the few racquets where I prefer to serve than return, but I was still able to start points offensively. It was very easy to generate power, so I had to make sure I wasn't overhitting my returns. Adding a little extra spin did the trick. I also thought the stringbed was a bit less forgiving outside of the sweetspot, and it let me know when I was a little off on my return."

For the rest of the team, the Pure Drive helped enhance returns, particularly the backhand return. Jaye said, "I overhit my forehand return on occasion due to how much power the Pure Drive has built in, but my backhand, which I tend to block back, was consistently penetrating through the court with easy depth and pace."

Hayden completely agreed, adding, "Sometimes I lost my feel when hitting my forehand returns, and the ball sailed long, but on my backhand, I felt calm and confident."

As the only player on this playtest with a one-handed backhand, Zsofi loved how the Pure Drive strengthened her return off that wing. She explained, "I do get pushed around sometimes, resulting in me only returning with a slice backhand to gain more control, but that wasn't the case with the new Pure Drive. I had confidence in my shots because I knew the racquet would stay stable and provide easy control, even against a faster serve to my backhand. Super impressed!"

Overall - Score: 87