Today was one of the last days of Summer. Or so it seemed here in New York City as temperatures were a bit unseasonal, a nice final gasp of warmth before Halloween. And we celebrated the best possible way- by getting some time in on the court. After all, tennis season is /every/ season, and public courts are always packed during the summers. And besides, a little extra wind only makes the game more interesting.
Our current weapon of choice: the Babolat Pure Aero Play, updated for 2016 and revealed during the US Open a couple of months ago- but just now hitting stores. Available in either a basic version or the connected edition, we tested the latter, which allows you to connect via Bluetooth to your smartphone or tablet for a lot of extra features. Of course, like some of the previous Babolat Connected models we’ve seen- like the Babolat AeroPro Drive PLAY- the base racquet is identical to the Connected one.
Let’s look at what you get with Babolat’s nifty app, available for Android and iOS devices. You can track your performance and data over time, watching improvements in your game, tracking items such as power, ball impact zone, type and number of hits (forehand, backhand, service, smash), spin, endurance and even an overall technique metric. There are some social features as well, so you can boast about your stats easily and compare with friends.
New and updated for the 2016 generation, Babolat updated the frame with a combination of “woofer and cortex technologies” they call Aeromodular2 that enable players to maximize spin without losing any of the punch thanks to optimized aerodynamics. They’ve also modified and redesigned the grommets, which are now oblong. We liked the overall color scheme- a fluorescent matte yellow, fittingly aggressive. At 300 grams and 100 square inches, it’s a fairly heavy racquet, and meant for serious players and especially forward/serving-oriented experts who will find plenty to appreciate about the power and pace. It might be a little bit hefty for beginners or younger folks, but the Pure Aero line has several other family members, including Junior versions and Tour, Team, and Lite editions as well (the last weighing in at a very svelte 270grams). The sweet spot is fine and the feel is well-balanced, but the Pure Aero Play can be unforgiving, rewarding high-tempo play with spin aplenty. Many pros swear by the Babolat family- the Pure Aero Play is available now, and their latest can be yours for $350.