pfrischmann
Professional
Hi guys,
I thought I would share my experience hitting with two Aero racquets. The first one and the latest one. For starters they do both play like Aero's meaning they have more in commmon with each other than they do another racquet all together but barely. You can really see what Babolat was trying to do with the stick with each evolution.
The APDO is 11.7 ounces with a SW of 332 and the PA is 11.3 ounces with s 325SW. I find the APDO to hit a much more solid and heavier ball but it takes significantly more effort to move the racquet over the PA. They are both 4-1/4 but shaped very differently. Somewhere along the way Babolat thinned out grip to make it a little less round. I kinda like the older grip better, just a little.
when I was playing in winter, I found the PA much more enjoyable, It's easy to swing and with the open pattern, i get a lot of free points on serve. I had to drop the tension down to 48lbs to keep it arm friendly. You get a pronounced trampoline effect but it's manageable, just not ideal.... Which is why I wich Babolat would come out with a 65RA Aero. The PA was just too harsh even at lower temperatures in the cold and with the denser crosses, it was just too much work to get the ball to do what I want.
In general, the heavier racquet requires more from me. You wouldn't think it would be such a big deal as the two are close in specs ( I don't remember the balance. I will report back) But in hand, the APDO is a hammer. I especially notice this on serve. I'm still very late on serves and they often go long. It fine with the PA but much harder with the APDO.
Fast forward to April. It's 80 degrees here and I'm having trouble controlling the PA's power in the hot weather and keeping the strings at a tension that wont break my arm. 50lbs is as high as a go with Hyper V 16. Unfortunately, anything thinner doesn't last very long on the PA. The APDO is working out much better but it's still a beast to swing. It's by no means a Federer autograph but in some ways, it's closer to that than a typical tweener. It requires earlier setup and you can not flick or arm the ball. You have to be prepared and purposeful with your strokes. my balance matters more. When I center the ball, it feels great! The Pure Aero is much easier to use IF you put spin on every shot. I find it so powerful, especially in the 80+ degree weather that if you are late, it's easy to hit the back fence.
I've hit with every version of the APD and I can see Babolat attempting to make this racquet more accessible to a wider audience. I feel, it comes at a price. I gave the APDO to a High School player that plays #1 singles (he uses the 2013 APD) He could not wield the the APDO he was hitting everything short or hitting the back fence. It was like he was stuck between gears.
I thought I would share my experience hitting with two Aero racquets. The first one and the latest one. For starters they do both play like Aero's meaning they have more in commmon with each other than they do another racquet all together but barely. You can really see what Babolat was trying to do with the stick with each evolution.
The APDO is 11.7 ounces with a SW of 332 and the PA is 11.3 ounces with s 325SW. I find the APDO to hit a much more solid and heavier ball but it takes significantly more effort to move the racquet over the PA. They are both 4-1/4 but shaped very differently. Somewhere along the way Babolat thinned out grip to make it a little less round. I kinda like the older grip better, just a little.
when I was playing in winter, I found the PA much more enjoyable, It's easy to swing and with the open pattern, i get a lot of free points on serve. I had to drop the tension down to 48lbs to keep it arm friendly. You get a pronounced trampoline effect but it's manageable, just not ideal.... Which is why I wich Babolat would come out with a 65RA Aero. The PA was just too harsh even at lower temperatures in the cold and with the denser crosses, it was just too much work to get the ball to do what I want.
In general, the heavier racquet requires more from me. You wouldn't think it would be such a big deal as the two are close in specs ( I don't remember the balance. I will report back) But in hand, the APDO is a hammer. I especially notice this on serve. I'm still very late on serves and they often go long. It fine with the PA but much harder with the APDO.
Fast forward to April. It's 80 degrees here and I'm having trouble controlling the PA's power in the hot weather and keeping the strings at a tension that wont break my arm. 50lbs is as high as a go with Hyper V 16. Unfortunately, anything thinner doesn't last very long on the PA. The APDO is working out much better but it's still a beast to swing. It's by no means a Federer autograph but in some ways, it's closer to that than a typical tweener. It requires earlier setup and you can not flick or arm the ball. You have to be prepared and purposeful with your strokes. my balance matters more. When I center the ball, it feels great! The Pure Aero is much easier to use IF you put spin on every shot. I find it so powerful, especially in the 80+ degree weather that if you are late, it's easy to hit the back fence.
I've hit with every version of the APD and I can see Babolat attempting to make this racquet more accessible to a wider audience. I feel, it comes at a price. I gave the APDO to a High School player that plays #1 singles (he uses the 2013 APD) He could not wield the the APDO he was hitting everything short or hitting the back fence. It was like he was stuck between gears.
