Babolat makes the game easier?

I read something similar to this, but don't know where, my experience is the same, I have a Wilson Pro Staff RF97, and I have been using it for a year, last week I tried the Babolat Pure Aero 2019, and everything was easier, the racquet has more maneuverability, power, spin, and because it is easier to hit in front, has better control comparing to the RF97 when you hit late, anyone has the same experience? Did you change your Pro Staff for a Babolat Pure Aero or Pure Drive?
 

Crocodile

G.O.A.T.
Depends on how you hit the ball that determines what racquet makes it easier for you.
There is no doubt that the RF with all that static mass plus swingweight and 68 stiffness will be challenging for some players.
However for me a Volkl C10 pro or Pro Kennex with its Q Tour 325 (with leather grips added) has the static mass but still very mobile and I find these racquets easier to use than an aero because you don't have to work as hard all the time. You can hold the grip
quite loose and just plough through the ball. With the Aero you constantly need to rip the ball fast to achieve the high RPM's to get the necessary topspin so the ball won't sail long. It's also quite harsh ( a little less now with the 2018 version) so hard work for those tendons.
Again you need to assess how you play to gauge which type of frame best suits your style.
 

redmini

Semi-Pro
Depends on how you hit the ball that determines what racquet makes it easier for you.
There is no doubt that the RF with all that static mass plus swingweight and 68 stiffness will be challenging for some players.
However for me a Volkl C10 pro or Pro Kennex with its Q Tour 325 (with leather grips added) has the static mass but still very mobile and I find these racquets easier to use than an aero because you don't have to work as hard all the time. You can hold the grip
quite loose and just plough through the ball. With the Aero you constantly need to rip the ball fast to achieve the high RPM's to get the necessary topspin so the ball won't sail long. It's also quite harsh ( a little less now with the 2018 version) so hard work for those tendons.
Again you need to assess how you play to gauge which type of frame best suits your style.

Not surprised you find pa easier than an RFA. RFAs a tough racket to play with. Having said that there's quite a few racquets I've found easier to play with than a pa. Including the regular Pro staff 97. Also head speed, Yonex dual g and Ezone etc. Pa is ok if you just want to hit with big spin and don't mind the balls sitting up for your opponent to tee off on. At least that was my experience. No such issue with pure strike or pure drive though, but they were unfortunately stiffer.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Dartagnan64

G.O.A.T.
Babolat makes some things easier (Topspin, Power) but I don't think they make control or feel any better at all. I've generally found all rackets are a compromise in some fashion. PA/PD are spin and power monsters but suffer in touch and control. Companies like Prince (and old Head) make rackets that excel in control and feel but produce less spin and power. Wilson runs the gamut from more control oriented frames like the ProStaff and Ultra Tour to spin/power frames like the Burn/Ultra (non-tour) to rackets in between like the Blade line.

Big thing for me these days is arm friendly. Babolat and more recently Head and Wilson have had issues with that attribute. Wilson seems to be moving back a bit with the Clash Line. Head has been softening things up a bit but still nowhere near their hey day. Babolat has tried a little bit but going from 72 RA to 69 RA isn't a revolution.

I'll take a match where my arm feels great at the end over a match where I found tennis "easy" but my arm ached for days.
 

fuzz nation

G.O.A.T.
I read something similar to this, but don't know where, my experience is the same, I have a Wilson Pro Staff RF97, and I have been using it for a year, last week I tried the Babolat Pure Aero 2019, and everything was easier, the racquet has more maneuverability, power, spin, and because it is easier to hit in front, has better control comparing to the RF97 when you hit late, anyone has the same experience? Did you change your Pro Staff for a Babolat Pure Aero or Pure Drive?

My racquet preferences run more in line with what our pal Crocodile mentioned in post #2. I've had Volkl C10's on hand for several years and more recently added another model of 98" Volkl to my bag with just slightly less of that old-school personality that the C10 has to offer. More or less I've found my way to these frames after trying this and that and also keeping some notes along the way. I've figured out that I like a general combination of a general static weight, balance, and flex.

It's no surprise at all that the Pure Aero (PA) felt better for you when you sampled it in contrast with the RF 97. The lighter PA is probably a bit easier to swing and it also has a slightly larger hoop that can help with getting a generous sweet-spot and easy power. That RF 97 turned me off a while ago when I tried it a couple of times because although it has a heft and balance that's sort of familiar for me, it's also rather stiff and powerful. Not bad for pure serve & volley style of play or maybe doubles, but tough to hit with consistency from the baseline for me. Much too explosive. The extra flex in my Volkls seems to give them a more moderated response that's more consistent for me when I'm hitting ground strokes.

The PA may give you the pop of a stiffer frame without the overwhelming power of the heavier RF 97. You may simply have a better balance of what you need with the PA, but one sampling might not be enough to tell whether that PA is what will work for you in every setting. It's naturally going to feel easier to manage than the heavier RF 97 at first, but if you can try it once or twice more, that should give you more snapshots for your overall perspective of it.
 

SavvyStringer

Professional
I found the PA (previous version) to be extremely easy to play from the baseline. Serving was not good due to inability to hit anything flat. Volleys were not good due to lack of control. Everything wanted to spin no matter what. This is good if all you're doing is hitting from the baseline but for my game it didn't work. Maybe if I brought the racket up to my preferred specs and gave it a longer play I could get used to it and enjoy it. As is, it will add a .5 to your ntrp from the baseline with its ability to spin but may detract in other areas. As to your original point of easier to play than the RFA, no surprise. The RFA is a sledgehammer compared to the PA.
 

Dartagnan64

G.O.A.T.
As is, it will add a .5 to your ntrp from the baseline with its ability to spin but may detract in other areas.

I don't think any racket can add 0.5 to your NTRP. Maybe if it suits your game it might be 0.25 better than another racket but if you finally beat a guy you couldn't beat before with a new racket, it wasn't the racket, it was confidence and a good day.

It's an illusion to believe that you can buy a level of NTRP. Way too much goes into improving levels that cannot be compensated for with a racket purchase.
 

WestboroChe

Hall of Fame
I don't think any racket can add 0.5 to your NTRP. Maybe if it suits your game it might be 0.25 better than another racket but if you finally beat a guy you couldn't beat before with a new racket, it wasn't the racket, it was confidence and a good day.

It's an illusion to believe that you can buy a level of NTRP. Way too much goes into improving levels that cannot be compensated for with a racket purchase.
Totally. One of the advantages of the tennis elbow I got this year was it forced me to try a bunch of different frames. The result was that I found some nice comfy cheap frames and also that I’m a terrible player with any racquet. So now I don’t have to wonder if I’m missing something by not trying frame x or y.
 
D

Deleted member 19728

Guest
I found the PA (previous version) to be extremely easy to play from the baseline. Serving was not good due to inability to hit anything flat. QUOTE]

Yeah I hated the last version of the PA+ and the current version of the pure drive tour+ for some reason the string bed just seemed to launch flat serves and I could never get them to drop into the court. They also seemed to have a pretty high launch angle on ground strokes. I was watching the video for the new PA+ and Michelle said something about how much easier the new one was to control compared to the old model, so I ended up ordering one to add to the collection. I was really impressed with the new pure aero plus, it really can serve up some nice flat serves like the old 2013 model and the pure drive roddicks of yesteryear. Nice racquet and I have been playing with it for doubles due to the maneuverability. If you get a chance try the new pure aero, I think flat serves are way easier to hit with it than the old model.
 

VaMoose98

Rookie
Yeah I hated the last version of the PA+ and the current version of the pure drive tour+ for some reason the string bed just seemed to launch flat serves and I could never get them to drop into the court. They also seemed to have a pretty high launch angle on ground strokes. I was watching the video for the new PA+ and Michelle said something about how much easier the new one was to control compared to the old model, so I ended up ordering one to add to the collection. I was really impressed with the new pure aero plus, it really can serve up some nice flat serves like the old 2013 model and the pure drive roddicks of yesteryear. Nice racquet and I have been playing with it for doubles due to the maneuverability. If you get a chance try the new pure aero, I think flat serves are way easier to hit with it than the old model.
Was the new PA+ hard to manage because of the extended length?
 

Simplicius

Semi-Pro
Babolat makes the game easier?
The anwser is Yes!

PS: With the word "Babolat" I describe every racket in this "easier" category which introduced first by Babolat.

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Please let me start a new sub-thread here in yours, in order to save time and space....

Simplicius said:
Can those "easier" rackets cause injuries in an easier way?
The anwser is also YES!

PS: And yes, I know that RF is not a racket series for those who care about injuries!
 
Last edited:
The anwser is Yes!

PS: With the word "Babolat" I describe every racket in this "easier" category which introduced first by ProKennex.

------------

Please let me start a new sub-thread here in yours, in order to save time and space....


The anwser is also YES!

PS: And yes, I know that RF is not a racket series for those who care about injuries!
FIFY :)
 
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