mikeyfrijoles
New User
I am having issues with elbow. Currently playing with the 2018 Babolat Pure Drive love the power and spin but hate the high RA. Any suggestions on another racquet!? Thanks
Racquet that plays like Pure Drive but lower RA?
- Thread starter mikeyfrijoles
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- babolat elbow pain pure drive
2nd Serve Ace
Hall of Fame
Volkl V-sense might be an option.
Sent from my LG-LS993 using Tapatalk
Sent from my LG-LS993 using Tapatalk
fuzz nation
G.O.A.T.
If you have a poly or poly hybrid in there, I'd say get rid of it right now. I've seen arm-troubles with a couple of local pals through recent years - decent players - who strung their PD's with poly or a poly hybrid.
One guy was a former college player who had a ferocious case of tennis elbow that put him out of action for a few months. After mending and returning to the courts, he kept his frames (specifically the Pure Drive Roddick) and switched to full beds of natural gut. His recovery was borderline miraculous.
Another younger slugger on the high school team I coach had a run in with golfer's elbow - he was playing a standard PD strung with a full bed of RPM Blast. After he switched to a 15L gauge of multifiber, his elbow was nearly 100% within about two weeks.
I'm generally convinced that most any racquet will play much more comfortably with a softer string type. That could even be a simple synthetic gut if somebody doesn't want all the extra softness that comes with something like a multifiber.
Enough about strings. Several of our pals here who have switched away from the PD looking for a more comfortable alternative have done well with the "8 Series" Volkls. The current V-Feel 8 is offered in three different versions; 315g, 300g, and 285g. Volkl's V1 is also considered to be and arm-friendly middleweight, but some versions have a slightly larger head size than the Pure Drive - maybe an issue for you.
I would also expect something like the Yonex EZONE 98 305g to work very well as a more cozy alternative to a Pure Drive. Even though this Yonex has a slightly smaller hoop size than the Babolat PD, the "square-ish" shape of Yonex frames seems to make them play a little bigger than a more traditional oval-shaped racquet. So that EZONE 98 could be about right in terms of size, and its flex rating looks significantly softer than the Pure Drive, too.
mikeyfrijoles
New User
Thank You for your response! I am testing the Yonex Exone 98 now and plan on testing the Wilson Clash in the coming month
Tommy Haas
Hall of Fame
leave your PD in the car in the summer heat for 2-3 weeks.
Also have it restrung 100x if you can afford it.
mikeyfrijoles
New User
I have my own stringer... but will that really help?!
Tommy Haas
Hall of Fame
leave your PD in the car in the summer heat for 2-3 weeks.
Exposing your racquet to extreme heat will break down the resin or glue in the frame. That will help to soften the frame up. Restringing a racquet causes micro tears in the graphite fibers. That coupled with weaker resin/glue will soften the frame up for sure, but I'm not joking that you'd have to restring it an awful lot.
Hankenstein
Hall of Fame
Head graphene 360 extreme S with 15 grams silicone inside the handle.
teachingprotx
Legend
Sounds ridiculous to most but the 26 pd is 64 RA . And it plays just like the pure drive except it’s softer. And lighter .. I think some pro stocks may be doing this too . And no I’m not kidding ..
I’ve sold a few clients rackets like this in the past with great success . All I did was lengthen the handle and lead weight to get it to exactly the reg pd drive is. Voila no more elbow pain and the forehands now go in
I’ve sold a few clients rackets like this in the past with great success . All I did was lengthen the handle and lead weight to get it to exactly the reg pd drive is. Voila no more elbow pain and the forehands now go in
mikeyfrijoles
New User
wow that's sounds pretty awesome to me!
jersey34tennis
Professional
Pure drive light plus lead
ron schaap
Hall of Fame
A less stiffer racquet will always play differently. So you could string your pd with a less stiff string. The yonex poly tour pro is rather comfy. Another solution to buy a gripsize smaller and use a thicker basisgrip that absorbs more of the shock.
Moonarse
Semi-Pro
Babolat Soft Drive with Silicon in the handle.
As easy to find as Kyrgios Motivation...
mikeyfrijoles
New User
lololololol
Dartagnan64
G.O.A.T.
Head Extreme 360, Yonex Ezone 100, Prince Beast 100.
mikeyfrijoles
New User
Thank You! I have a clash coming in today
SavvyStringer
Professional
Volkl 8 series. Plays similar and has a similar RA but plays softer than RA.
Dartagnan64
G.O.A.T.
Reviews for that racket are all over the place. Some describing it as a wet noodle and others saying it has oodles of power. Probably because its a wet noodle with a high launch angle to compensate. I'd demo that frame before buying given the lack of consensus about its nature. Most agree its comfortable though.
cknobman
Legend
I was a play tester for it and still use it right now.
I love it. Lots of spin and lots of comfort. Yes the flexibility makes it feel "lower powered" but I like that I can swing out and harder without having such harsh vibrations.
mikeyfrijoles
New User
I was lucky enough to get a Clash but its the regular version I am stringing it tonight with Y Tex Quadro Twist and will see how it plays. Thanks!
am1899
Legend
Dartagnan64
G.O.A.T.
So in other words its just like a Pure Drive but lower RA. Precisely what the OP was asking.
So basically its a Prince Phantom?
I'm still waiting on final release and some play tests from the TW staff. It's hard to imagine you can design a racket with that flex and still has stability and power at such low weight. I imagine its a lot closer to the Ultra Tour that needs some weight.
cknobman
Legend
11.6 ounces is not a super low weight.
mikeyfrijoles
New User
Just sold my pure drives... Testing out Wilson Clash and Yonex Exone 98 with lead at 3 and 9. Thanks for everyone's help!
Dartagnan64
G.O.A.T.
You must be referring to the Clash Tour. The regular Clash is lighter. Still I'd need to add 12 gms of lead to get the tour into reasonable specs and SW for me. I'm a 12 oz 330 SW kind of guy
