One of the strings that does not really pop up on a lot of people’s radar yet sports the name of one of the most iconic string lines – the Babolat RPM Rough. Can you expect something as a more spin-friendly RPM Blast? Not really, in my opinion. But let’s dive into this Babolat RPM Rough string review and how it plays.
Packaging and first impressions
The Babolat packaging is one of the nicest ones to me, with its hard plastic closed cover and a recently re-designed artwork. You might be able to argue that it is not the most environment-friendly packaging, but it definitely looks a bit more worthy than other brands. The string itself comes in different colors, I tested both the yellow and orange/red ones. The string is 8-sided as its more known brothers, RPM Blast, RPM Team and Hurricane but has an additional rough surfacing that is said to enhance spin further.
Of course, as other RPM strings, the RPM Rough is not a soft polyester string, but it also does not feel as stiff as some others. Babolat is not very transparent about the differences between Blast, Team and Hurricane but overall, the material of the Rough feels closest to the Hurricane, judging from feel and look only. Stringing is easily done, and I chose to test it in my Pure Drive 98 as well as the ProStaff 97 v14, stringing the Drive at around one kilo harder than the Wilson.
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First hit and impressions
Right from the get-go, you feel that this string wants to be a control-oriented and rather stiff poly compared to the next-gen offerings from some new brands. Especially in a stiff frame like the Pure Drive 98, you will definitely feel the sensation from impact directly. On the other side, the ball path is very predictable, and you always feel in control, no matter whether you play flat or spin shots. I always like these strings that rather use a rough surface instead of aggressive shape, because I feel that while they have a similar spin level, they usually offer a much more predictable lateral control. The RPM Rough is no exception here, it plays a great level of spin without being too far off the charts in response.
Overall, the string offers a very good control level on all groundstrokes, but the slice stood out to me really. On serve and forehand it doesn’t really add to my power, which is fine for me but might not help players looking for that little bit of extra. Volleys are super controlled, even if they feel jarring if you do not really hit it dead center. Even if some experts say that the overall spin and rotation is the highest with these rough surface strings, the level of spin does not feel completely off the charts in comparison to other shaped polys. This can be something positive though, as some of these usually then feel a bit unpredictable again.
Babolat RPM Rough
The change of faces after the break-in
We all know what happens to some other poly strings after the break-in period. RPM Blast is also known that once the coating is gone, the performance of the string changes dramatically for the worse. It isn’t all the way that bad with the RPM Rough but after a certain time (2-4 hours), the string feels a lot more worn-out and moving in the frame. Especially in the ProStaff, the feeling was a lot more muted and disconnected from then on, even if the comfort wasn’t really bad as in the Blast. So, either you have to adapt to the change or re-string after a match or two again.
By the way – even if it feels a bit more stretchy, it doesn’t get any more forgiving or arm-friendly after all and it seems that the effect happens in every string job, regardless of the initial tension.
Conclusion – who is this string for?
So, is this an option among the best tennis strings at the moment? In total, I would say that the RPM Rough is an interesting addition to the Babolat string line-up, even though the rough surface strings might not be for everyone. But if you would like to enhance your spin production without sacrificing too much control, and your arm can handle the stiffness of RPM strings, this one might be worth a test. It feels very close to RPM Hurricane and just like its brother, you might want to re-string before breaking to have optimum performance at all times.
Pros
Cons
