About this Review: This review is my honest opinion of the tennis racquet, which I purchased with my own money in March of 2022.

My take

The Babolat Pure Aero 100 Racquet is geared towards any aggressive baseline player who likes to add heavy spin and wants to dictate from the baseline. Serves and volley take awhile to adjust to, but all in all, a wonderful racquet to hit with.

About the gear

• Model: 2019 Babolat Pure Aero 100
• Grip Size: 4 3/8
• String and Tension: 56 lbs, Solinco Tour Bite 17 gauge
• Head size: 100 sq. in.
• Racquet Length: 27 in.
• Any Customizations: One overgrip

About me

• Height: 5’11”
• Weight: 210 lbs
• Previous Racquet Played With: Babolat Pure Aero
• Experience: 23 years of playing tennis
• NTRP/UTA Rating: 8/5

Test conditions

• When I bought the racquet: March 2022
• Length of time owned: 7 months
• Court Surfaces: Hard court
• Match Play/Practice Session/Both: Both
• Where I’ve used it: South Jordan City Park courts and University of Utah indoor courts.

How it performs

What I was looking for

Growing up with Babolat Pure Drive, I wanted to stay within the Babolat family while looking for some added control.

Why I chose this gear

Visually I think the Babolat looks great. Really stands out to the crowd, making a statement of what I use on the court. My game style of playing on the baseline complemented well with my old Pure Drive, so I wanted similar playability but with more spin.

What I love about it

• Power: Due to a high stiffness of 67 and the aerodynamic design in the throat of the racquet, it is easy to have power when swinging this racquet. (The stiffer the racquet, the less energy is transferred to the ball, giving more energy to the ball. Greater Stiffer = Greater Power.)
• Feel & Stability: With the new Cortex Dampening material to the head at the 3 and 9 o’clock position, the Pure Aero has a smooth feel on contact with the ball.
• Maneuverability: Due to the weight of 11.2 oz, the aerodynamic design, and the racquet being more handle-heavy, I feel like I could switch shots at an instant.
• Versatility: This racquet is for groundstrokes, specifically for those that want to add heavy spin.
• Features: I love this racquet, specifically with my forehand. I generate spin, power, and angles. Definitely feels like I am asking for trouble when I hit a shot to my forehand.

Issues I’ve encountered

• Control: The racquet has a technology called FSI Spin. Essentially, it gives more spacing to the strings, and the grommets on the 6 and 12 o’clock positions are slightly longer. This is built to give me more spin. That being said, it also gives a higher angled velocity which means one will hit deeper shots. I noticed I had a tough time keeping control when I hit shots by the baseline. They were either going too long or too short. Something that takes adjustment.
• Volley: I had a tough time hitting clean volleys with my backhand. Couldn’t hit the sweet spot well.

Favorite moment with this gear

I’ve been playing with this racquet for some time. That being said, my favorite moments are anytime I hit a forehand.

Value for the money vs. other options

The standard 2019 Babolat Pure Aero goes for $239. However, they did release a newer version of that racquet, so maybe down the road, they will lower the price. It’s a pretty popular racquet, so the lowest I could see it going down would be $219 if that. If someone loves Babolats (like me) and groundstrokes are their bread and butter, it’s definitely worth looking at. If one likes Yonex, the VCore 100 would be fairly similar. For something cheaper, I would recommend the Head Graphene 360+ Extreme MP. It goes for around $150.

Final verdict

There is a specific reason that Rafael Nadal endorses this racquet. It is for any player who loves to spin and dictate with spin on the baseline and feels confident with their groundstrokes. It is one of the most popular racquets, and there is a reason why. The Babolet Pure Aero 100 is definitely a racquet to check out.