![]() ![]() "It was love at first hit," said Jason, who is a pushover for any racquet that gives him big spin. Whether I was hitting angles, drives or rolls, it felt like I was working less for a better product, with massive amounts of spin on my shots." The more I trusted the control of the racquet the better the shot, with zero to minimal amounts of shock. It provided my ground game with effortless aggression. The same maneuverability and crisp feel that keeps me coming back to Babolat racquets was right there in the Pure Strike 16x19. I felt like I had so many options from the baseline. Although it has the same string pattern as the Pure Aero, this racquet seemed to have a higher potential for power, spin and depth. She said, "The more I hit with the Pure Strike 16x19 the more I came to love it. I simply loved hitting with this racquet from the baseline."īy the end of this playtest Hannah was a believer. ![]() It didn't appear to have any specific spin technology, but every string I used in this racquet seemed to be turned into a spin monster. I'm not sure why I was getting so much spin on my shots with this racquet. The response was Pure Drive-like in its forgiveness, but there was more comfort and feel and an overall plusher hitting experience. Although it is somewhat cliche to say this, but this racquet really did feel like an extension of my arm. I felt like I could put the ball on a dime, and I was totally connected to my shots. It quickly became my favorite standard length racquet (followed closely by the Yonex EZONE DR 98). He continued, "I was more than impressed by this racquet! The level of control and spin from the baseline was exceptional. Needless to say, the Pure Strike turned out to be perfect for Chris. Chris, who has hit nearly every important Babolat stick this side of the wooferless Pure Drive, captured our sentiments in one word: "Wow." However, our experience with the Pure Strike 16x19 amounted to something more than the sum of its specs and technologies. Other racquet brands have deployed a similar formula (think Wilson Blade 98, Head Speed MP or Yonex EZONE DR 98). On paper the Pure Strike 16x19 reads like your basic modern player's racquet - fast, spin-friendly, lively and precise, with some control and feel thrown in for good measure. As for downsides, check back later, we're still looking. Ultimately, by packing a surprisingly stable response into a light and speedy player's frame, Babolat has produced yet another universally appealing racquet, and one that delivers amazing command over the ball (and feels great doing it). The Pure Strike 16x19 not only gave us enough pop and confidence to drive the ball through the court, but the spin potential bordered on mindless. It's faster and livelier, and it's been retooled with a slightly thicker beam and juicier stringbed. The upshot, for our playtesters, was a stick that delivered the explosiveness of a modern player's racquet without sacrificing the classic virtues of control and feel - or, in the words of playtester Chris Edwards, "This is a softer Pure Drive." Although our team gave this stick Prestige-like scores for control, this is not your daddy's control racquet. It possesses the same easy acceleration and phenomenal "out of the box" playability of its iconic siblings, but it comes with a lower stiffness level and boxier beam. However, if our playtest team has it right, the new Pure Strike 16x19 will soon be in the conversation. ![]() The Pure Strike line, by contrast, rarely gets mentioned in the same breath. ![]() When discussing the best Babolat racquets, tennis players invariably mention the Pure Drive or Pure Aero, two racquets with universally appealing levels of speed, spin, pop and precision. ![]()
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