Babolat Pure Aero Plus 2023 Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 87

These four playtesters are no strangers to extended racquets, and all admit to loving previous versions of the Pure Aero Plus, which means they knew exactly what to expect from this playtest: power and spin! Chris was also pleasantly surprised to find a softer and more comfortable response. He began, "I have been enjoying how all of the new Pure Aeros play from the baseline, and it's tough for me to pick a favorite between this one, the regular Pure Aero and the Pure Aero 98. I appreciated the power I got from this plus-length version. I was able to get a little more zip on all my shots, and I was hitting more clean winners than usual off my backhand wing. I usually get my winners going down the line with that shot, but with this racquet I was able to be just as effective with my cross court backhand. The response on my slice backhand was also solid. I was able to put the leverage of the longer frame to good use and drive my slice with ample spin and weight. The plusher response was very welcome whenever I made contact off center and when I was hitting with touch."

"This was one of those reviews where I wish I had a radar gun clocking shots. The Pure Aero Plus has consistently been a racquet that provides me with the most power and the most spin, and this update continued that trend," said Michelle. "The noticeable update to the Pure Aero Plus 2023 is the feel at contact; I felt a bit more connected to my shots. This is going to be a familiar transition for anyone switching from the previous model, which is a good thing. Why change what works? I found easy depth, easy pace and easy spin from the baseline, and I loved going for big, penetrating shots through the court with hopes of winning the point or gaining a short ball to attack. As with many racquets in this spec range (100 square inches, 16x19, extended in length), I find it so fun to swing but sometimes there’s a bit too much power and pace when in point situations. However, I love drilling with racquets like these, and this Pure Aero Plus easily goes into the 'guilty pleasure' category. I could still probably use a bit more built-in control during match play, and I would lean on the new Pure Aero 98 for that with its smaller head, thinner beam and slightly tighter string pattern."

"Like most of the extended Babolat racquets I have tried over the years, this update made it easy to go big on groundstrokes, especially on my forehand," added Troy. "I appreciated the slight tweaks to the racquet, including the tighter string spacing (like the old AeroPro Drive) and more flexible shaft. The slightly tighter spacing gave me a bit more control when hitting flatter drives and my slice backhand. I also enjoyed a relatively smooth feel on contact. I wouldn't say it is a flexible racquet; it still has that Pure Aero firmness that it is sort of known for, but there's a little more comfort and a cleaner feel on contact. I enjoyed the substantial swingweight that is close to what I use on a regular basis. Overall, I found this an easy racquet to use from the baseline. It has similar specs to my Yonex EZONE 98+ in stock form, but there were times I was craving a bit more of the precision that I get from the 98 headsize."

Within 20 shots from the baseline, Mark could detect a softer feel and lower launch angle. He described, "Spin (topspin and slice) was still very easy to generate. The lower launch angle actually improved my shot predictability and placement, which was a definite improvement in my book. After 10-plus hours of play, I felt the extra length-maintained power and stability from the baseline. Power seemed more manageable compared to previous versions."

Volleys - Score: 83

The Pure Aero Plus had our playtesters tapping into their aggressive side when it came to net play. "As expected, this racquet was super stable and made it easy to hit point and shoot volleys," noted Michelle. "With the updated feel, there was a bit more ease constructing smarter volleys or drop shots, but the racquet still rewards big, bold shots, so swinging volleys were super fun to hit as well. And, as with most extended racquets, that lefty swipe volley on my non-dominant wing is always executed best with solid racquets like this Pure Aero Plus!"

Troy also found volleys to be relatively easy to execute. He said, "The slightly extended length gave me a little more confidence when in a defensive position, but at the same time the relatively high swingweight made it easy for me to punch volleys deep in the court and put the ball away. I wouldn't say this racquet offers a ton of feel for the ball (compared to some of the thinner beam racquets I hit with), but I felt like control was slightly improved. Maybe I felt a bit more connected due to the tighter string spacing. The 100-square-inch head size gave me a generous sweetspot and made it easy to be aggressive while playing doubles and attacking the net."

Inside the service line was where Mark realized how versatile the 2023 Pure Aero Plus was for his game. He explained, "Choking up on the handle improved stability on heated passing shot attempts, and even when I was at full stretch and making contact toward the tip of the hoop, the frame's stability and volley quality were still top notch."

Chris, who likes to hit placement volleys, found himself so addicted to the power of this racquet that he turned more aggressive and ended up punching most shots at net. He said, "Hitting overheads was also fun since I had lots of power on tap to put the ball away. My touch volleys were working well, and I liked the added control I had with this racquet compared to the previous version. I felt like I was getting better directional control from the stringbed, which helped me find some nice short angles. When it came to getting the 2023 Pure Aero Plus into position, it felt maneuverable and hid its added length well."

Serves - Score: 91

The 2023 Pure Aero Plus' extended length led to some impressive serves for our team. Troy found it easy to tap into the frame’s ample power and spin when serving. He explained, “I noted a lively response when hitting a flatter first serve, and the ball was really zipping off the racquet with some added pace. When hitting heavy topspin or kick serves, I noticed a lot of action on the ball. There was maybe a little less grab on the ball compared to the previous two generations (due to the string spacing), but I still had very easy access to spin. I prefer the higher swingweight since it’s what I’m accustomed to, and I think that it adds some heaviness to my shots, including my serve. Some players might find it a bit harder to maneuver, but for me it felt pretty dialed-in."

By a small margin, Mark felt his serve was the most effective shot of the playtest. He said, "I was rewarded with lots of pace and precision on serve without a huge effort on my part."

"I have loved serving with every iteration of this racquet, and this update did not disappoint," added Chris. "I loved the pace I found on my first serves. I was serving as aggressively as I could and was able to stay decently consistent. When I did have to hit a second serve, I was getting lots of spin. My second serves had good pace since I could use the spin to keep my shots inside the lines. The 2023 Pure Aero Plus has a forgiving feel and felt easy to swing, so it didn’t tire me out."

Michelle echoed, "Serving with the extended Pure Aeros is always a bright spot for me. I find I can really get the pace up without having to try too much harder. Big first serves were easy to come by and super effective! Spin, slice and kick serves were all very easy to get after with this racquet in hand. I could add plenty of variety to my serves, but essentially, I was trying to just hit most serves as hard as I could to play my most efficient version of first-strike tennis."

Returns - Score: 81

Once they adjusted to the extra half inch in length, our team was able to tap into loads of power when returning with the 2023 Pure Aero Plus. "I returned well, but I did notice its length a little more on this shot," said Chris. “My returns started to feel natural again once I adjusted to the racquet, and I started to take advantage of the power I could generate. My favorite returns were cross court topspin drives since I had a longer court to hit into and felt more confident using all of the power. As on groundstrokes, I liked the leverage on my slice returns because I could slice the ball deep with very little backswing needed."

Michelle, who loves extended racquets and loves returning, found she could absorb pace and spit it back out. She said, "With a shorter, compact swing, I could pick and choose my spots on the court, and I enjoyed putting pressure on the server. I have no complaints here at all. I like to rely on that extra reach when facing big servers, and can block balls back and get them deeper into the court to hopefully neutralize the point. With the 2023 Pure Aero Plus in my hands, any weak second serve was getting punished!"

The extended length also helped Troy's range a bit, and he liked the healthy swingweight that provided easy power and depth on his returns. He explained, "I felt pretty confident stepping in and being aggressive, but I still felt like I could get a decent amount of depth in the court from defensive positions. I would consider increasing the overall weight to improve this racquet on serve returns. I thought the 2023 Pure Aero Plus lacked a bit of substance when I was facing big servers, although it does have a healthy swingweight. Due to the frame's stiffness, I think the racquet benefited from a bit more mass overall to give it more of a solid feel and to help absorb fast-paced serves better."

Mark considers his return of serve to be his Achilles heel, but this Pure Aero Plus increased the effectiveness of this shot. He said, "The average 6-points head-light balance of the 2023 Pure Aero Plus helped hide the extra length, and I was able to hit a higher percentage of offensive returns."

Overall - Score: 86