Babolat Pure Aero 98 Racquet 2023 Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 85

The Pure Aero family is known to provide loads of spin and power, but it's not always noted for its control. The Pure Aero 98 reined in the power level, allowing our playtesters to harness other qualities and take command in baseline exchanges. Chris kicked off the positive feedback, saying, "The Pure Aero 98 was one of those racquets that I hit my groundstrokes well with every time I picked it up. It seemed like the head size, string pattern and specs just came together perfectly for me. I was able to hit with power while still being very accurate and consistent. I liked the way the racquet came through the ball with stability, yet it still felt maneuverable enough to make it easy for me to generate racquet head speed. The solid feel of this racquet made the Pure Aero VS feel hollow in comparison. I hit mostly with the Pure Aero 98 strung up with Babolat RPM Blast, and I thought it paired perfectly with the frame. I was able to get lots of spin on my shots and just loved the combination of power and control."

Like Chris, Michelle found a good balance of power, spin and stability from the Pure Aero 98. She said, "I love the Pure Aero family of racquets because they help me produce the most power and spin, but let's be honest, I think I need more control in my game. Enter the Pure Aero 98! This racquet offered the control a player like me needs with that slightly smaller head, 16x20 string pattern and slightly thinner beam. This racquet was super versatile in my hands. I loved how it swung smoothly and still provided nice mass behind the ball, adequate access to spin and great stability. I remember struggling with the Pure Aero VS because it felt a bit brassy; it wasn't my favorite. This new Pure Aero 98 was solid and comfortable without feeling too flexible. I felt in command of the court no matter what sort of player I found myself hitting against."

Jason kept the praise coming for the Pure Aero 98. He said, "I loved that this racquet offered me many of the aspects of a Pure Aero, like the great access to spin and good power, but also a bit more control. Because it is slightly heavier, I found I could hit with easier depth as well. I felt like I was able to swing out more because it has less free power compared to the standard Pure Aero."

The Pure Aero 98's control made Benji feel like he could dictate points. He explained, "I really enjoyed the added control compared to the Pure Aero. It was a pleasure to be in command during rallies and feel that I could win the point at any moment thanks to its power and precision. When I hit the ball on the rise or at the top of the rebound, I could feel all the potential of the Pure Aero 98. I also liked the spin potential, even if the head size is smaller and the string pattern is 16x20."

Valerie has been playing with the standard Pure Aero. She touched on the weightier feel of the Pure Aero 98, saying, "I love the power and spin I can create with the Pure Aero 98 on my groundstrokes, and I really felt like I did not miss any shots. I was able to hit deep and powerful shots to keep my opponent behind the baseline, though I did get a little tired after long rallies due to the heavier weight. I also had to move well to give myself the chance to hit the ball right in the sweetspot since it was a bit more difficult to maneuver the racquet head."

For Alex, the extra stability and control of this racquet stood out at the baseline. He said, "The Pure Aero 98 offered me what I didn't get from the others — control! With its smaller head size, it makes me feel way more precise and helps me control the ball better. Whether on the attack or in a defensive position, stability is the key to the Pure Aero 98, even from the baseline.

Volleys - Score: 82

When moving forward, our playtesters tapped into the stability and maneuverability of the Pure Aero 98 to play with variety at net. Michelle described, "I loved coming to the net with this racquet! It was fun to conduct points, allowing me to finish them with a volley. I found success whether I was taking a massive swipe at a swinging volley or adding touch to drop it just over the net. The Pure Aero 98 was stable against big hitters, but also maneuvered easily into place. It definitely gave me added confidence to execute aggressive shots. Even when I was being pulled off the court or had to take a massive reach, the racquet held up flawlessly. I'm fairly certain there was even a point where I was in a battle at the net and got one of my lefty volleys in!"

Coming to net isn't the go-to tactic for Jason or Alex, but both liked how this racquet worked with their volley games. Jason explained, "When I'm up at net, I always appreciate a bit more torsional stability for off-center hits, which this racquet provides. It also has plenty of pop to put the ball away on overheads and sitter volleys. It does feel slightly softer than the previous Pure Aero VS." Alex continued, "As you may know, the volley isn't my best weapon, but the Babolat Pure Aero 98 gave me the ability to control the ball, and I was way more confident coming to the net to finish points."

Benji offered a more mixed review on volleys, saying, "The Pure Aero 98 is very stable, so it was easy to play at the net. That said, I felt a lack of maneuverability at times, especially when I had to hit balls below the net."

On the other hand, Chris continued to find the Pure Aero 98 to be a great fit for his game. He said, "My love for this racquet transitioned to the net just fine. I was able to punch volleys aggressively and felt confident to aim for the corners. My touch volleys were also working well. I had fun hitting soft angle volleys, as well as cutting under the ball to hit drop volleys with the Pure Aero 98. The level of feel was excellent, and I was very connected to my shots. Again, the blend of power, control, stability and maneuverability was perfectly suited for my style of play." Likewise, Valerie added, "I also had great touch on volleys and overheads."

Serves - Score: 83

Our playtesters were able to keep their opponents guessing on serve with the Pure Aero 98. They could go big and flat with their serves or choose heavy spin, landing them all consistently inside the service box. Benji said, "I liked that I could hit hard, heavy serves with good accuracy to take any advantage away from my opponent. The Pure Aero 98 was the perfect weapon on second serves because I found all my spots, like the T on the deuce side and the backhand spot on the ad side with a lot of spin."

"I liked the power I got out of the Pure Aero 98 on my first serve, especially when I hit it flat down the T," Valerie added. "Here again, I left like I rarely missed a serve, and I was able to place it exactly where I wanted it. On second serve, however, the weight kept me from getting as much spin on the ball as I prefer. Then again, I barely missed any serves, and sometimes the placement of the ball is just as important as hitting it with enough spin or speed."

The Pure Aero 98 struck a wonderful balance of control and power for Michelle. She explained, "I really appreciated that the Pure Aero 98 helped add control to my ground game but didn't take anything away from my serves. I felt as if my serves were just as big as the serves I hit with the Pure Aero. Flat first serves were rewarding, and targeting was awesome. I could go body or T, and I found both of those to be successful. I also never felt impaired when going for spin or kick serves. I've been trying to really accelerate up and through my second serves to get my kickers to jump up a bit more, and the Pure Aero 98 was a fun one to work on that with!"

Like his fellow playtesters, Chris could mix it up tactically with his serves. He said, "While the Pure Aero 98 offers more control than the regular Pure Aero, I still found plenty of power for blasting serves. My T serves were working well with this racquet because I had solid pace and just the right amount of spin to get the ball to dip into the corner. I found ample spin on my wide serves, and I was able to go for aggressive angles to help pull the returner out of position. A solid combination of pace and spin helped me serve aggressively on second serves."

Alex could get aggressive with his serves as well. He said, "The Pure Aero 98 helped me hit some flat and powerful first serves with control and precision. I found angles more consistently than with the Pure Aero 2023. My second serve was even better with this racquet, and I got the opportunity to put out more power and be more aggressive."

The signature spin helped boost Jason's serves. He noted, "While it doesn't offer all-out power like the Pure Aero, the Pure Aero 98 was great on serves because of its combination of power, spin and control. I rarely hit a flat first serve, so I appreciate the great access to spin. It made my serves effective enough that I got some weaker returns to attack."

Returns - Score: 86

Power, stability and control; the Pure Aero 98 seems to have it all on returns. Both Alex and Benji pointed to stability as the standout feature when hitting serve returns. Alex started, "About returns, my first word would be stability! When I hit the ball perfectly in the sweetspot, my returns let me start the point on the offensive. The precision gave me the confidence to go for my shots without fear of missing." Benji added, "The racquet's stability is very helpful for aggressive returns, allowing me to really attack the ball. Even against heavy serves, I can return properly and feel confident for the rest of the rally."

Jason also liked to go for aggressive returns with the Pure Aero 98. He said, "I felt confident attacking returns with this racquet. With the amount of topspin I could get on my shots, I could take full swings and know that the spin would drop my shot in the court."

After a slight adjustment, Valerie was getting into points in an offensive position. She explained, "I had to shorten my swing a bit to hit the ball in the sweetspot and in front of my body, and I absolutely loved what came out of it then: a powerful return that landed where it was supposed to. I was able to put pressure on my opponent right away."

Agreeing that some adjustment was needed, Michelle could return with raw power or mix it up with variety. She said, "Stability shone for me on returns. If I were being hypercritical (and this might just be user error), I was still finding loads of power off my forehand return at times and had to get those big targets going rather than aiming for my normal 1-inch-from-the-line target. It also meant I had an opportunity to get the dippers and angles going, and I had fun taking serves that were hit out to my forehand and whipping through the return to execute a short angle off the court. I enjoyed striking off my backhand side on returns, and I found I could get the point off to a good start even when defending against body serves."

Chris concluded the review on another high note. He said, "The Pure Aero 98 felt very natural in my hand, so I was able to focus on where I wanted to hit my returns rather than having any concerns with the actual hitting part of the shot. I noticed that this racquet has a softer feel at impact, which is something I also noticed in the Pure Aero update. I found both to be very comfortable on returns. The Pure Aero 98 provided tons of control, and I was able to swing out and still get my shots to land in."

Overall - Score: 86