The Babolat Pure Drive is a racquet that needs no introduction. It has built a reputation for being user-friendly, stable and capable of mashing the ball at a moment’s notice. Reinventing this icon for its 11th generation would risk alienating its large and loyal fanbase, so changes are generally going to be evolutionary. For this latest model, the intent is to enhance the feel and comfort of the racquet to go along with its trademark big hitting.
The main driver for this improvement is the updated NF2 dampening technology. Constructed of natural flax fibers, it’s designed to filter out the harsh vibrations that can accompany off-center contact on the firm frame. The fibers in the original version had more of a crisscross pattern, but 2.0 arranges them in a unidirectional configuration. This change in assembly creates an even more comfortable response at impact.
It’s found in the throat on the Pure Drive, Pure Drive + and Pure Drive 98. The lighter models in the line—Pure Drive Lite, Pure Drive 107 and Pure Drive Team—also have the fibers positioned at 3 and 9 o’clock of the hoop as well.
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