Babolat Pure Aero 2023 Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 84

As the Pure Aero has historically enjoyed worldwide success, our playtesters stateside and in Europe were excited to see how the 2023 Pure Aero compared to previous versions. Brittany, from Tennis Warehouse, noted some similarities alongside a few new traits. She started by saying, "Just like Pure Aeros of the past, this 2023 update was fast and spin-friendly in my hands. One thing I love about the Pure Aero is that it adds the perfect amount of spin to my groundstrokes without me having to alter my game style or strokes. With it being so easy to swing, I was able to whip my wrist (at times pretending I was Rafa!) and create some great angles to really open up the court. I found this generation to offer a little more control — in other words, less free power — compared to the previous racquet. Initially my groundstrokes were landing a little short, but after a small adjustment I found myself picking a target and taking full cuts at the ball without fear of overhitting. I talked to another playtester after one of our hits, and he said my ball was coming through the court heavier than normal. I definitely found it easier to be aggressive and stay on offense."

Chris felt like the playability was a culmination of a decade of incremental improvements all coming together. He said, "I loved hitting groundstrokes with this latest Pure Aero because the trajectory from the stringbed reminded me of the early AeroPro Drives. It felt like this racquet had a more direct response compared to recent versions. The previous Pure Aero was a step in the right direction, and I feel this one pretty much nailed what I want out of a Pure Aero. The one surprise was the feel. This Pure Aero feels softer and more dampened at impact. I'd go so far as saying the feel was a tad muted, but I liked it and still felt connected to the ball. I had enough feel to place my shots well. I found easy power and fantastic access to spin, but what I liked most was the confidence I had when going for the corners or flirting with the lines. I was able to drive my backhand slice well and enjoyed hitting topspin off either wing even more."

Jason appreciated the differences in this new version, but not all of them aligned with his play style. He explained, "This is a more maneuverable Pure Aero than the previous generation, and that change definitely had its positives and negatives. The positive is the racquet felt very whippy, which allowed me to hit with tons of spin and find sharper angles. I felt that control was improved as well. The negative is that I wasn't hitting with as much depth and power as I could with the last generation."

Our Tennis Warehouse Europe team echoed many of the same findings, with a few new observations that helped round out an in-depth look at what this racquet brings to the table. Valerie knows the Pure Aero line inside and out. She said, "I have played with the Pure Aero dating back to when it was called the AeroPro Drive — for over 15 years in total. Therefore, the racquet suits my game style and vice versa. I am able to generate a lot of spin and power with my forehand and hit a low slice, which is my preferred shot on the backhand side. The 2023 Pure Aero is very forgiving and has a big sweetspot. Additionally, it is very maneuverable and makes it easy to generate racquet head speed." Alex added, "I was able to produce huge topspin from the baseline, so my shots landed deep in the court, then I could follow up with drop shots to keep my opponents guessing. This new Babolat Pure Aero allowed me to change my strategy during the point and still find success."

Benji found an impressive balance of specs from this update. He said, "Even though it's still a powerful racquet, I had more control than the former version. It felt super comfortable, and I think it is more user-friendly. This updated Pure Aero will pair well with many different styles of play. As always with this model, I could produce a lot of spin that translated very well to playing on clay courts."

Volleys - Score: 83

The Pure Aero took speed and maneuverability to the next level when our team attacked the net. For Jason, the racquet flowed from forehand to backhand. He described, "I really enjoyed this racquet up at net. It felt quick and responsive. I thought the sweetspot was fairly generous for those off-center shots. I also thought there was enough power to put the ball away with ease." Benji agreed with Jason, adding, "This racquet combines touch and power volleys. It was the perfect weapon to end the point quickly or finish the point after a long rally working my way forward to the net. Also, the balance of the racquet allowed me to react quickly if I had to block a heavy shot."

Whether poaching or playing defense, Brittany was confident with the Pure Aero in her hands. She explained, "Up at net, I appreciated the speedy response I received from the 2023 Pure Aero. I was able to reflex volleys back during a quick exchange, and I felt I could punch the ball deep to end the point. The racquet was stable enough that I never felt pushed around. The feel was decent; I didn't hit a ton of drop or angled volleys, but that isn't my game anyway." Valerie added, "The racquet was quick, and I felt very connected to the ball. I was able to hit deep and powerful volleys as well as drop shot volleys and angles."

Chris found the open court using traditional and creative volleys; this racquet could do it all. He said, "I played several sets of doubles with the 2023 Pure Aero and loved how fast it felt at net. I was able to punch volleys with solid pace and still trust I'd find my targets. There was enough inherent power to help me out on tough pickups and stretch volleys. I felt like I could still get decent depth on those shots even when I couldn't get a lot behind the ball. My drop volleys and angles were working well, and I felt more tuned into those shots with this update compared to the previous version."

Alex preferred hitting crisp volleys deep in the court. He explained, "It was still a bit hard for me to totally control the ball at net. Even though I felt better control than the previous version, I prefer a more touch-oriented frame. The overall feel was great, though, and I had success hitting through the court to put the ball away."

Serves - Score: 84

The Pure Aero delivered in a big way on serves. Over the years, this is one area where Aeros have always shone, and Valerie thought Babolat raised the bar yet again. She said, "With the 2023 Pure Aero, I can hit my first serve super hard and flat without any effort. On second serves, the racquet helps me hit a nice kick serve. In addition, I like to slice it out wide from the deuce side. This new version allowed me to be successful hitting all of those serves."

From the movement on the ball to hitting her targets consistency, Brittany was in the zone on serve. She said, "It is no secret Babolat makes great serving racquets. The Pure Drive has sat in the top spot for me for 10-plus years as my favorite racquet to serve with. After this playtest, I will be altering that title to favorite racquet for hitting first serves. The 2023 Pure Aero has now taken the spot for favorite racquet for hitting second serves. The biggest reason is that I can generate racquet head speed and maintain it throughout a match without any arm fatigue. The other reason is that the spin potential helps bring the serve down into the box and then jump out of my opponent's strike zone. I was able to hit my second serve consistently and eliminate some of the double faults that sometimes creep in when I play. I will say that first serves were still highly successful with this racquet. I was able to hit a variety of spins and place the ball deep in the box. No complaints!" Benji echoed Brittany, pointing to placement as a real weapon. He continued, "I can serve easily everywhere in the service box; I can hit any spot. The combination of hitting a big first serve, finding my spot, and creating a lot of spin put my opponent in a bad situation."

The differences between the outgoing version and the 2023 Pure Aero all felt like upgrades to Chris. He described, "Getting great power and spin on serves are Pure Aero expectations, and this update delivered. The racquet was easy to swing, and I liked the way I could snap it through contact. Even though I liked the previous version on flat serves, I found I had better precision with this update. My second serves were working well too. I had fun slicing the ball into the returner's body, as well as kicking it away to force a stretched return."

Like the rest of the team, Alex appreciated what this racquet added to his serves. He said, "The serve was one of my favorite shots with the 2023 Pure Aero. The racquet was smooth overhead and snapped through contact. For my first serve, I liked to slice my first serve, keep it low, and use it to force my opponent to hit a defensive return. On second serves, I went with a kick that moved the ball away from or into the body of my opponent." Jason added, "Serving with this racquet was really easy and provided me with great results. It was effortless to accelerate through contact to get lots of spin on my second serves. I also found that targeting was better with this racquet than previous Pure Aeros."

Returns - Score: 86

Our playtesters stayed aggressive on return, using the maneuverability of the Pure Aero to generate speed and spin. Chris explained, "The Pure Aero felt fast and responsive on returns. I liked taking a good rip when hitting topspin returns, and I found the racquet whippy enough to create some nice angles. The dampened feel kept things comfortable. My slice returns were working well. I was able to drive the slice to be more aggressive or float it to buy some time to help neutralize a tough serve."

Alex felt a difference in control between this racquet and the previous version. He said, "Returning with this 2023 Pure Aero produced mixed results. I was left wanting additional stability whenever I was facing a big server, but I loved taking a big swing at a second serve. When I did have the time to line up a forehand and attack, the response was more controlled than the 2018 Pure Aero."

Jason was able to rip heavy topspin returns, but he struggled when he was forced to hit a defensive return. He said, "I thought this was a great racquet to be offensive with. Because it is so quick to swing, I felt like I had time to take full cuts at the ball, even when I was going against some first serves. However, when blocking a return back, I felt like the balls were landing shorter than anticipated."

This racquet's impressive maneuverability made for some reliable returning from Valerie. She described, "With the 2023 Pure Aero I can hit aggressive returns even under pressure thanks to the easy maneuverability. I am able to shorten my swing on first serves and still hit the ball with a lot of power and control." Benji continued, "Because of the stability of the 2023 Pure Aero, I felt confident and could be aggressive from the very first hit. I even hit a few return winners. I didn't feel overwhelmed by powerful first serves; the racquet held up totally fine."

Brittany found enough control to narrow her targets and take calculated risks on returns. She explained, "This racquet made it a toss-up whether I preferred to serve or return (and that very rarely happens). It did everything well on returns, and I didn't have to think about it too much. It felt like an extension of my arm, and I was very confident being aggressive on both first and second serve returns. Sometimes the 2023 Pure Aero gave me too much confidence, and I was going for a little too risky of a shot, but that made it fun at the same time."

Overall - Score: 84