Round-up review: our score and verdict are based on published specs and reviews from across the web, not our own play-testing yet.
The eleventh-generation Pure Drive is Babolat’s all-purpose power frame, on sale in one form or another since 1994. It suits intermediate and advanced players who want pace and depth from a light, quick swing, whether that is from the baseline, at the net or on serve. For club players who do a bit of everything, it remains the one-racket answer.
Free depth, big serves
The story here is how little the Pure Drive asks of you. A 317 swingweight and 318 g strung weight make it easy to swing fast, and the 69 RA hoop gives all that speed back as pace. Tennis Warehouse’s playtesters call serving a particular strength, with slices and kickers as easy to place as flat first serves down the T, and they rate the quick handling at net as an invitation to finish points with a bang.
Babolat’s HTR layup stiffens the hoop for stability on off-centre hits, and for 2025 an updated NF2 Tech puts flax fibres in the throat to smooth out the harsh vibrations older Pure Drives were known for. Tennisnerd measured the 2017 Wimbledon edition at RA 72 with the same 317 swingweight, so this is a softer frame that swings exactly as it always did.
Where reviewers split
The comfort work has a cost. Players moving up from crisper, older Pure Drives report a more muted sensation at impact, and one of Tennis Warehouse’s few two-star reviewers found it clunky with a dampener and harsh without one. That is a minority view: the same customer reviews average 4.8 out of 5 across 36 write-ups, one of the highest scores in this round-up.
The other caveat is a familiar one. If you already hit hard and want feel and control rather than help, this can be too much racket, and a Pure Strike or a Blade will reward you more.
Specs
- Head size 100 in²
- Strung weight 318 g
- Balance 33 cm, 4 pts HL
- Swingweight 317
- Stiffness (RA) 69
- Beam width 23/26/23 mm
- String pattern 16 x 19
- Length 27 in
Verdict
Still the racket to buy when you want the ball deep without a perfect swing. If you already hit hard and want feel, pick something more restrained.
