Bonjour from Babolat
 

Bonjour,

My name is Daniel. I work for Babolat. I was previously posting on my personal account “beckerdx,” and there was some confusion as to the validity of my identity. At the suggestion of some users (and the graciousness of TW), my name was changed to “Babolat Official.”

We love how active the forums are. You are the “tennis nuts” who help keep our sport alive and growing. I am not here to sell you Babolat product. Some people love Babolat. But a lot of people don’t…and that is perfectly OK. We all love tennis.

Think of me as an informational resource. I don’t have all the answers at my fingertips, but I’ll try to get them from the right teams (product, warranty, etc.). There is also a fair amount of speculation, production information, etc., in the forums, which is a good thing. When it comes to Babolat product, feel free shoot me an email: dbecker@babolat.com. You are an extremely active and informed community, and I would love to help when possible.

My tennis background:
Playing experience: Division 3 (Kenyon College)
Playing style: aggressive baseliner
Current set-up: 2013 Aeropro Drive, RPM 18 @48 lbs, Leather Grip, VS original grip

Tension was 60-65 until Pro Red Code. Since then, 48-52 depending on conditions.
*Grip 3
**grip 2
***grip 3 (leather)

Racquet history (from 12 years old)
Head Ti Radical / Wilson Sensation 17 *
Babolat Pure Drive (swirly) / Klipper Pearl-Zone 16 *
Babolat Pure Drive Zylon 360 / Klipper Pearl-Zone 16 *
Dunlop 200g Muscle Weave / Klipper Pearl-Zone 16 *
Babolat Pure Drive (Block letters) / Big Banger Alu Power 125 *
Babolat Pure Drive (Block letters) / Tecnifibre Pro Red Code 125 *
Head Liquidmetal Xtreme / Tecnifibre Pro Red Code 125 **
Babolat Aeropro Drive (1st cortex) / Big Banger Alu Power 125 **
Head MicroGel Prestige Pro / Tecnifibre Black Code 118 **
Babolat Pure Storm Tour (2009) / Big Banger Alu Power 125 **
Babolat Aerostorm (2010 - yellow) / RPM 17 & VS 16 Hybrid **
Babolat Aeropro Drive (2010) / RPM 18 ***
Babolat Aeropro Drive (2013) / RPM 18 ***

Welcome Daniel. Can you tell us if the Storm series of frames (either Pure or Aero) will be updated for 2013? Thanks!!

Wow Great. First question

Babolat racquets are undeniably popular however why do you design racquets which cause arm pain

I liked the pure drive 2012 however it cause dme pain in my elbow arm I could not sleep. Surely in this age you should be able to make the pure drives and aero drives and take away that pain effect ?

Secondly do the pros use less stiff models of the pure drives than retail ones ?

I don't really have anything to ask you so I'll just say welcome and it's great that you reach out to the TT community! Have a great stay!

String question: which Bab string offers the best combination of low power/spin potential?

Thanks for your input in the community! Much appreciated.

Pure Storm will not be getting an update in 2013. The Aerostorm is being discontinued.

I can confidently say we do not design products with the intention of causing arm pain. Sorry to hear about your arm pain. What type of string are you using and what is your playing level & style?

Our product team customizes racquets for many of our players. Other players choose to use independent racquet technicians.

Bonjour et bienvenu,

unfortunately I belong to the second camp but that doesn't stop me from appreciating your efforts to connect with the customer base and welcome you to the boards!

I wish all companies would be as active/relevant in Social media as Babolat is.

Low power &spin puts you in the polyester category.

I would recommend trying RPM Blast or Pro Hurricane Tour. However, if you are not breaking strings every 8-12 hours, it may make sense to hybrid.

I have found that RPM goes dead on me too fast, haven't used any of the PH series...

How long does it take you to break it? And what gauge?

Recently I developed pain in the tip of my elbow due to vibrations when mishitting with the 2011 Aeropro. I would like to avoid these vibrations and also a boardy feeling. Also, I dont like the overly dampened feeling of multis as full jobs or as cross strings.

Any recommnedation of a string setup for the new 2013 APD considering my situation?
I think that babolat Nvy is a good cross, What string would you recommend as a main string to combine with Nvy or any other string in a full setup?

Thank you for doing this Daniel. My question is are you aware of any talk of releasing Pure Drives or Aeropro Drives with a softer flex? I love the way the racquets play but they can irritate my wrist tendinitis and that was with Tonic/RPM hybrid I currently use.

Thanks in advance.

I use the 125 (I like the extra spin), breaks after 12-15 hours.

Daniel,

Welcome and thanks for stepping up with the the new screen name. When I came back to the game a few years ago I was surprised that a company that I only knew by their VS gut had established a major presence with racquets, balls and other related equipment. After only playing with Prince for many years I decided to demo a few, but wanted a little heavier racquet than the most poplular versions. Came across the Pure Storm Tour GT and absolutely love the racquet. Love the shoes. I would only pass on that the nylon zippers could be improved on the bags.

Best Regards,
Jeff

Have you tried putting Natural Gut in the mains?

One of the drawbacks of poly is it loses tensions really quickly. Have you tried a hybrid with a 16 gauge multi or 15L Natural Gut? You might lose some spin and gain power, but it will help with tension loss.

For every advantage, there is a drawback.

We've got something coming out in 2013 that should address the poly/tension issue. Stay tuned for more information...

Merci Jeff.

We've had similar feedback on the bags and have passed on to the product team.

Yes I tried it once. VS black. Felt good but I break strings and it can get expensive. Also, maybe the stringbed was a bit too powerful. I liked Polyfibre TCS full bed at 52. Will try it with the new APD.

1) How many playing hours do you get from RPM at 48 pounds in your APD?

2) Are you swithching to the new APD?

3) And, why did Babolat change the swingweight in the new APD (in comparison with the prior model?