Tag:

Babolat Aero Pro Drive original

What is so great about the AeroPro Drive Original?

by TN August 9, 2016

written by TN

This is a true icon among racquet nerds. But what is so great about the AeroPro Drive Original? I wish we could ask Rafa Nadal.

What is so great about the AeroPro Drive Original?

I’ve been wondering this question for quite a while. After all, this is the racquet Rafael Nadal still plays with, despite numerous iterations and paint jobs over the years. Most racquet nerds in various tennis forums claim that Babolat ruined a good thing when they introduced the Cortex technology* in their racquets and that Babolat racquets “pre-cortex” is where it’s at. I’m currently playing with the first Babolat Pure Drive without Woofer, Cortex, GT, FSI and other technologies that Babolat has introduced over the years and I’m really enjoying it so far.

So that’s why I started pondering the question about Nadal’s racquet of choice, the Babolat AeroPro Drive Original that so many hail as a legendary stick. I haven’t hit with it frequently before, but I found one used that I’m going to take out for a serious play-test soon and see what all the fuss is about.

A raw racquet!

From the first few hits, the feedback you get on your strokes is more direct, which, if you hit it outside the sweet spot is a little harsh. I’m pretty sure that’s one of the things Babolat has tried to work on for each iteration (if they’ve been successful is up for discussion): increasing the sweet spot and making sure off center hits don’t jar the arm and still get back into the court. I personally really like the raw feel and find the information useful when I’m off on my groundstrokes, but I can see how it’s not the most user-friendly racquet for intermediate players and can quickly become slightly painful for the arm. But this is on the other hand the complaint with most Babolats and should also be attributed to technique that needs work and/or bad string and tension choice.

TIP: Don’t give up on your racquets until you try different strings and tension and possibly adding some lead tape or blu tack/silicone to the handle to change weight and balance.

String setups in the APD Original

Talking about strings, The Weisscannon Silverstring seems to work really well with the Babolat Aero Pro Drive Original, but I’m going to also try my current string of choice (together with the RS Lyon), the Solinco Hyper-G in it and see if I can get even more spin. Since the Hyper-G is a slightly stiffer string than RS Lyon, I hope it won’t bother my arm too much.

No matter what string, what I really enjoy about the so called APD Original is the massive spin and whip you can get on the ball. It inspires you to go for the ball “Wild West Rafa style” and that sure makes for an entertaining (and sweaty) hit, although you should probably stay away from copying his technique too much or you might decapitate yourself or frame the ball into outer space.

Update: the Babolat Aero Pro Drive Original is a very good racquet, but a little too powerful for my taste so I’m staying with my Babolat Pure Drive Original instead (1997, non-woofer version). So I have a Babolat APD Original for sale in great condition. Let me know if you’re interested in the comments.

What is Cortex? (from Babolat)

A CDS (Cortex Dampening System) interface transmits useful information to the player and the handle design brings that information closer to the player’s hand for perfect control on every hit.

August 9, 2016 18 comments

Pro player racquets

Rafael Nadal’s Tennis Racquet

by TN May 23, 2016

written by TN

What is Rafael Nadal’s tennis racquet? Nadal endorses the Babolat Pure Aero but plays with an AeroPro Drive Original painted to look like one.

Rafael Nadal’s tennis racquet is not what a lot of people will tell you it is. Rafa endorses the Babolat Pure Aero racquet but actually uses the Babolat AeroPro Drive Original that he strings with Babolat RPM Blast strings. Like I’ve written about so many times before, what you see on TV is not really what the tennis pros actually play with (except for in some rare cases, like with Roger Federer’s tennis racquet. The pro players are most often using pro stock racquets in various paint jobs. If you want to find out what racquets other ATP pros actually use…read this post.

So why is Rafael Nadal’s tennis racquet painted like the Babolat Pure Aero? Well, because Babolat want to sell more racquets and selling a more than ten-year-old model is not really feasible for them (or other brands in the tennis industry). So instead they do what most racquet companies do these days, keep producing the Aero Pro Drive Original for Rafa, but paint it like the latest model.

Check out the racquet Nadal endorses (the Babolat Pure Aero) at our affiliates Tennis Warehouse, Tennis Warehouse Europe and Tennis Only.

Rafa did try to play with the Pure Aero model (or at least the similar FSI string pattern) for a few tournaments while he was struggling, but he didn’t get the results he was looking for and didn’t completely trust his shots with the added power that the Pure Aero is offering. So he went back to the Aero Pro Drive Original.

Rafael Nadal’s Tennis Racquet – The Specs

If you ask the tennis gear lovers at forums like TTW, you’ll get detailed answers like this (from poster “Romain”, but it’s hard to know for sure. What I do know for sure is that Nadal over the years has kept adding more weight to his racquets to increase power and stability. Ways you can add weight and customize your racquets include adding lead tape to the frame, there is also so-called balancer tape from Babolat that includes tungsten and not lead (which can be poisonous, so wash your hands when using it!).

– Babolat Aero Pro drive 2005 (4 1/4) in Pure Aero 2019 paint
-17g lead: 12g at 12 and 5g in the handle
– Babolat Syntec Pro Black + Babolat Vs Original White
– Babolat Custom Damp
– Balance Strung: around 335 mm
– String: Babolat RPM blast 1.35
– Racquet weight strung: 340 grams (including dampener and overgrip).

Rafael Nadal normally wear Nike shoes, a market leader in sports shoes for basketball and volleyball and other sports.

How do you feel about this? Do you feel cheated because the racquet companies aren’t upfront with what their top players are playing with? Or is this just marketing and we should let it go? Let me know in the comments.

Rafael Nadal’s list of tennis gear

Babolat Pure Aero Play edition
Babolat RPM Blast
Nike Lunar Ballistic Tennis Shoes
Nike Men’s Challenger Rafa tennis shirt
Nike Men’s Summer tennis shorts
Babolat Pure Aero tennis bag

Some general info about Rafael Nadal:

AGE 33(1986.06.03)	TURNED PRO 2001	WEIGHT 188LBS(85KG)	HEIGHT 6’1″(185CM)
BIRTHPLACE MANACOR, MALLORCA, SPAIN	RESIDENCE MANACOR, MALLORCA, SPAIN	PLAYS LEFT-HANDED, TWO-HANDED BACKHAND	COACH CARLOS MOYA AND TONI NADAL

May 23, 2016 24 comments

News

Nadal tested by Busta Rhymes

by TN January 6, 2016

written by TN

No, Nadal wasn’t tested by the famous fast-lipped rapper, but by his countryman, 24-year-old Pablo Carreno-Busta ranked #67 in the world. A solid player on the Challenger Tour who is having difficulties cracking the upper levels of the ATP.

Everybody including myself expects Nadal to have a far better 2016 than last year, but it has to be seen to be properly believed. Confidence can be a tricky thing on a tennis court, especially when other players treat you like you have a target on your back and start believing they might actually hit it.

Carreno-Busta had the belief that he could inflict harm on Nadal’s game, that much was evident. He’s tall, moves reasonably well and can both hit with spin and flat. And players willing to hit through Nadal without abandon has been his toughest opponents in the past.

It’s also much easier for a player like Carreno-Busta to play his best game against a living legend like Rafa. He has nothing to lose and can go for the lines because he knows he needs to. And he did play his best tennis in the first set, winning it 7-6 after a close breaker where Nadal saved four set points.

But I think few people thought Carreno-Busta would sustain his game long enough for him to emerge the winner. Nadal didn’t look like the Nadal of 2015, he was playing pretty well and he looked determined not to lose his first competitive match of 2016.

And that’s exactly what happened. He broke his countryman twice in the second set and won the third set 6-1. it showed promise for things to come. He was tested, but came through in vintage Rafa style.

Later today Nadal plays Haase (shouldn’t be a problem) and Djokovic faces Verdasco (potentially interesting).

Random thought around Rafa’s gear: Is Nadal using the Pure Aero with the FSI string pattern or his old Babolat Aero Pro Drive Original? He tried the Pure Aero last year, got more power with it, but in the end opted not to use it due to lack of control. Interesting to see if he goes back to that frame in 2016 or stays with the tried and tested. My guess is that he will use the original and if he isn’t happy with his results after Roland Garros, he will use the Pure Aero with the FSI string pattern for the second half of the year.

January 6, 2016 0 comment