This is part four of our four part series on Tennis, so feel free to take advantage of all the information in the series.
The strong tight string configuration creates a muted feel; some players feel disconnected to the ball at impact. Some players advocate for more weigh in the handle to improve maneuverability.
However, you will easily get used to the feel of the Wilson Blade 98 after a few hours of play. Other than these flaws the rocket is an absolute best for tennis professionals and enthusiasts.
Step Up Pick
Our choice for the step up pick is the Babolat Pure Strike 16×19. This tennis racquet delivers appealing levels of precision, spin, and pop. However, it comes with a box like beam, and is less stiff.
It offers the feel and explosiveness of Wilson Blade 98 18×20, albeit with a softer drive. The racquet has a less tight string bed in comparison to Wilson Blade 98 and a slightly thicker beam.
Babolat pure drive 16×19 is universally appealing with a good feel and fantastic control over the ball. These features give the racket a light but surprisingly stable response.
Just like most popular rackets, the Babolat Pure Strike 16×19 looks impressive on paper. Surprisingly, its performance is at par with the advertised specs and technologies.
The light, smooth feel makes the racquet feel like an extension of the arm. The string pattern and tightness level make the player feel the impact on contact with the ball.
Owing to its string pattern, the Babolat Pure 16×19 offers more power and spin. The relative lightness of the racquet gives it more spin on shots.
On volleys, the Babolat Pure Strike is quite impressive. The racket has a good handle and control which translates to easy offense. These features are commonly associated with heavy modern player rackets.
The Pure Strike delivers powerful shots from the baseline deep into the opponent’s court, and it does so with a pop.
On serves, the Babolat Pure Strike 16×19 gives a good spin and easy control. The shots come with decent acceleration and power.
The lightness of the racket gives it an excellent long, full swing on serves and returns. However, some players will be put off by the lightness of the Pure Strike. It can also be hard to customize.
Budget Pick
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For those on a budget, the best pick is the Wilson Tour Slam, which is a smart buy for any tennis enthusiast or player. The Wilson Tour Slam is best suited for intermediate and beginner skill levels. However, as one improves their skill to expert levels, it becomes necessary to upgrade to a higher end tennis racquet.
For a low price tennis racquet, the Wilson tour slam delivers decent performance with adequate control, precision and stability. The Tour Slam is produced by a well-known brand, and it is just surprising that they decided to sell it at such a low price.
This racquet is a must pick for beginners. It is incredibly light with a large head to unleash powerful shots. The string pattern is tight and robust to provide the much-needed maximum power upon hit.
The design of the racket requires less effort while providing more power behind the swing. However, it might be a struggle to keep the ball inbounds, which will negatively impact the choice of style of play.
The Wilson Tour Slam has a built-in feature to absorb shock and reduce vibration, thereby improving control and stability.
The racket packs moderate weight allowing for powerful and lower effort hits. Apart from being very affordable, the Wilson Tour Slam is also sturdy and durable. On the downside, individuals with small hands might find it to be too large.
The Wilson Tour Slam is the best choice for those who are new to tennis and are looking to improve their games. For individuals taking tennis for recreation, this racquet is the best pick.
Best Power Shot Tennis Racquet
Technology has been extensively used to improve the feel and response of modern tennis rackets. The Babolat Pure Drive has seen a steady stream of technological tweaks which have later been imitated by other brands.
The Babolat Pure Drive 2018 version comes with an updated cortex dampening system, a widened string pattern spacing and redesigned grommet holes.
These features have improved the power and spin with muted feel in comparison to earlier versions. The shot trajectory is high translating to balls with a high arch and hard shots with more comfortable depth.
However, beginners will have trouble managing and controlling the robust trajectory.
The Babolat Pure Drive delivers heavy volleys, big serves and piercing spin loaded strokes. It is a good pick for fearless, skillful advanced players looking to dominate the opposition.
The racquet packs plenty of power and spins from the baseline. It delivers raw, explosive speed albeit with minor issues on feel and control.
The Babolat Pure Drive comes with a full bed installed RPM blast, which allows the ball to move at incredible speeds with the least effort.
The ease of power makes it possible to quickly collect shots that are closer to the feet with good spin and control.
The Babolat Pure Drive is best suited for an aggressive style of play with good power, good response and good speed. The volleys are easy to control even when close to the net.
When delivering volleys, it is easier to manage and precisely direct the volley to any part of the court.
On serves, the racket delivers near perfect power and spin. When effectively used, the explosiveness and precision of the serves make it lethal against the opponent.
The ease of effort and good swing make the Babolat Pure Drive a deadly racket on serves. On returns, the minor issues on control are compensated by its power, making it an offensive prowess.
The muted feel on contact with the ball makes it hard to have a good feel on slice and challenging to control.
Best High Tech Tennis Racquet
The Babolat Pure Aero Play is the first tennis racquet to integrate the best technology without altering the classic racquet design.
Babolat Pure Aero Play offers comfortable play with its aerodynamic beam and high swing weight. It has sensors to analyze gameplay.
At the bottom of the racquet, there are two buttons: one for Bluetooth and the other to switch the racquet on and off. The sensors measuring different aspects of the game are located in the grip.
The battery is inside the handle and lasts for about 6 hours.
There is a blinking LED light that notifies on racket status. Blue light indicates that the racquet is on, purple light indicates that Bluetooth is on, while a blinking red light is an indication of low battery.
The Babolat Pure Aero Play also utilizes FSI spin technology.
Underneath the handle, a door opens to the micro -USB connector for data transfer and charging. The Babolat Pure Aero Play has gyroscopes, accelerometers and piezoelectric sensors inside the grip.
The gyroscopes track the rotation of the racket to analyses how the shots are hit. The accelerometers make out the direction of the racket.
The piezoelectric sensors analyze vibration upon contact with the ball to inform the player on the ideal spot on the stringed. The information from the sensor is accessed via free mobile app for both Android and iOS devices.
Microprocessors inside the grip translate, record and send information to the mobile apps via Bluetooth. From the mobile app, players can access information breakdown on shots by types and number of shots.
You can also see how long the racquet has been used, frequency of shots per minute, power, power on spin and best rally.
If you are looking to improve your game by getting stats and detailed analyses of your gameplay, then the Babolat Pure Aero Play is your best choice.
Best Tennis Racquet For Big Swingers
For tennis players looking for big swings, the Head Graphene Speed Pro is the best option. The Head Graphene Speed Pro features revolutionary Graphene technology, which helps distribute weight to the ends of the frame creating a racquet with a considerable swing weight.
It has the right blend of power, control and maneuverability. These features show best on serves and returning serves. The racket also packs good spin.
On the baseline the Head Graphene Speed Pro performs well with plenty of control and power. It is also very stable making it easy to plow through.
On volleys, the big swing makes the racquet a dangerous arsenal even when close to the net. On different areas of the court, there is little or no need to adjust the swing to keep the ball in play.
The racket performs best on large serves and slice serves. The design of the Speed Pro makes it easy to consistently use the middle to direct shots centrally.
However, the broad swing makes it difficult to deal with all ground-strokes comfortably. The head size is enough to provide the sweet spot for aggressive returns without minimizing control.
