Tennis

The new Babolat Pure Aero, increased stability and feel for improved performance

It is always a challenge to evolve a model as successful as the Pure Aero, winner of 19 Grand Slam titles. And yet, the new version retains the qualities of the previous model, particularly spin, while increasing its stability and enhancing feel.

To advance a product, it’s important to take into account the evolution of the sport. By assessing the game and taking feedback from players in the field, Babolat designed the specifications for the new Pure Aero. Alexandre Israël, tennis category manager explains:

“In the 80s, spin was a defensive tactic. Then it became an attack shot to outmaneuver an opponent. Today, we have moved into a new era where players use spin to dominate, and especially to take advantage within a point. It’s about offering high-performance spin that allows players to control their power thanks to increased stability. This was the basis for developing the new Pure Aero.”

To achieve this, the brand’s engineers incorporated the same SMAC technology used in the new Pure Drive. SMAC offers less vibration and more feeling. Instead of integrating it in the throat of the racquet as on the Pure Drive, they placed it at 3 and 9 o’clock in the racquet head, thus respecting the specific profile of the Pure Aero.

To complement its expertise, Babolat partnered with Chomarat, a world-renowned manufacturer of composite materials. Thanks to a woven and sewn carbon, the “Carbon Ply Stabilizer”, integrated in the throat of the racquet, the new Pure Aero offers an extraordinary stability: “This carbon is more rigid, bringing more stability at impact, and therefore more control,” says Alexandre Israël.

The innovative new Pure Aero also simplifies the work of stringers. “With the new stringing pattern of the Pure Aero, you can start the crosses on either the right or left, because there is a single groove all the way around. So, the string is protected on whichever side you start,” explains Lucien Nogues, competition stringer.

Players always have a special relationship with the look and design of their racquet. On this point, the new Pure Aero delivers. “We wanted to reinforce the performance aspects of the racquet with a new yellow, Taïpan Yellow, inspired by an extremely venomous snake from Australia. The matte and metallic finish, inspired by the automotive world, combined with an aerodynamic typography, give the Pure Aero a racy design that stands out on the tennis court,” concludes Alexandre Israël.

Starting in 2017, Rafael Nadal was very involved in the development of this racquet, all the way to the choice of color, giving the Pure Aero his stamp of approval during the tournament in Monte Carlo. Look for Rafa and the Team Babolat players to switch to the new Pure Aero in the coming months.