February 7, 2005

Review of the BABOLAT Aeropro Drive 100 and Aeropro Control 98

Over the last few years, one of the most popular frames around, both on tour and at the club has been Babolat. They have not been as mainstream as Wilson or Head. This is mainly because they don’t make racquets for the weekend warrior or Joe Country Club that you can find on a hook at Wal-Mart. They make frames for those who intend to use them in battle and for those who can sense the difference between a Wilson and a Penn ball upon contact.

These frames are no different. As the name suggests, the Aeropro series has an aerodynamic beam and throat that looks a lot like the wing of an airplane. For tournament players, this means that they can swing faster to generate more racquet head speed for more slugging power. This new throat has been added to the widebody head of the Pure Drive Team (Andy Roddick’s frame). The head on these frames has the Babolat “Woofer” system. The grommets are really wide. For the player, this increases both power and control by enhancing the trampoline effect. For your local pro, it makes the racquet much easier to string. You will notice that you might have more breaks and in weird places. This is because strings rub against each other and burn and cut through. If the strings are moving more along the trampoline’s surface, you may need to go to a more durable string. Unless of course, you don’t mind having your stick in the shop all the time!

Like I said…this racquet is not for everyone. But if you have played some competitive tennis like I have, you will appreciate the subtle power differences. The touch and spin in this frame is more due to the string tension. Do yourself a favor. Watch a lot of pros play; not just your favorites players, but everyone. Try to find the swing style that matches yours and then check out what racquet they use. If you have a swing like Roddick (if you do, I am available for coaching jobs), then a frame like this is for you, too.

BABOLAT Aeropro Drive 100 and Aeropro Control 98 $179

WhatsAllTheRacquet.com Ratings: (from 1 to 5 best)
Playability 3.5
Power 4.5
Control 4.0
Touch/Feel 3.0
Spin control 3.0
Overall 4.0

Product review by Mike Wallace

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