Tennis Racquet Review: Babolat AeroPro Drive Plus 

Simply put, this is a great tennis racquet. I have been a sometime fan of the Babolat Aeropro tennis racquets from the start, and almost went with the frame that Rafael Nadal used a couple of seasons ago. But for some reason I could not really locate my forehand volley with that racquet, which is kind of a big problem for a player that comes in a lot.

But I hit with the AeroPro Drive plus tennis racquet for just a few minutes and I was convinced that it was one of the best frames in recent memory. As I played with it more and more, I became convinced that my initial thoughts were correct. The frame has a 100 square inch head and weighs 11.3 ounces strung. It is 27.5 inches long and plays as though it was longer. Most plus length racquets feel a little unbalanced, especially when you first hit with them. Not this frame.

I was able to produce spin and power right away with this tennis racquet, and the bellwether shot for me is the forehand approach up the line and the forehand volley off of that foray forward. That combination was rock solid from the start with this racquet. The 16(mains) X 19(crosses) makes it very easy to manipulate the ball with this tennis racquet. The thing just feels rock solid.

Serves and volleys and overheads and drop shots and angle volleys were all no problem with this tennis racquet. My serve, especially my slice flatter first ball just dove and ran through the box. Babolat says that this racquet is designed for 4.0 + players who see themselves as big hitters and I for one think that we should just concur when the company appears to have the thing figured out and slotted for the correct tennis player level.

One little issue; with this tennis racquet; my forearm started hurting when I used it in a match. It played great, but it was a little overpowered in match play and a little vibration heavy. I do think that it is more how I play, and how sensitive I am to racquets that are lighter. But I know a number of players in the 3.5-5.0 range who have used other advanced tennis racquets and have switched to this racquet, or are thinking seriously about it, and I would have to say that my issues are atypical.

I would recommend this tennis racquet to serious hard hitting players without any reservations whatsoever.

Marc Pinckney