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The racquet of choice for Frenchman Jo Wilfried Tsonga,
this is the 2013 Babolat AeroPro Drive GT Plus
Babolat introduces their Active Cortex dampening technology to make this
new version of the AeroPro Drive Plus more comfortable than ever.
The specs remain similar to the versions that precede it allowing
this installment to carry on the already successful tradition of this line.
The update features a swingweight of 326, a stiffness rating of 72,
and a 5 points head light balance
First up we're here with Siobhan our Babolat connoisseur.
Tell us your thoughts on the new extended length version of the AeroPro Drive.
I was a really big fan of the standard length so I actually was very surprised
with how much I liked this extended length here. Usually when the racquets
are a bit longer I have trouble getting it around, the maneuverability
can give me some issues. I also find that it's a little bit too powerful.
But I was actually very surprised with this. It was really easy to handle,
I found that at net it allowed me to reach out for balls that I couldn't
get earlier. And also I liked it on serves, I found that it gave me the extra power.
I did have to slow things down a little bit to get the control I needed
just because the power was a little bit too much sometimes, but I found
I was able to access the spin and control like normal.
Overall I found this a very comfortable racquet to play with
I just prefer the standard length over the extended.
Next up we're here with Chris, Chris now you've got a one handed
backhand, how did this plus extended length version of this racquet
work for you with the one hander?
Yeah usually that's the one shot I have issues with, the top spin
one handed backhand. When a racquet gets longer like this
the tip just feels a long way away from where I want it to be.
Even with just a half inch of added length, you know I usually feel
that on the one handed backhand. But with this racquet the spec
comes in a little bit lighter than one it replaces
and I think that just helped me maneuver it a little easier,
I could whip it around. And then on the slice I really felt
dialed in on my backhand slice. Like I mentioned in the
standard length review, it enabled me to go from a really
defensive situation, to quickly turn it around into an offensive
situation on my slice. I really felt like I could knife it,
get a good weight of the shot. On the forehand loved the power
and spin I got with it, that also translated at net, I was able
to get on everything I wanted to get it to. Again, lots of control,
really able to just pop the ball away. My overhead which is a shot
that is always needing work, got a little help out of this racquet
just from the extended length, and the same on serve too. A little bit
of extra spin and pace which is always nice for me, really fun playtest
Next up we're here with Brittany, Brittany I know you're a fan of the
standard length version of the AeroPro Drive,
give us your thoughts on the Plus version.
I definitely reaped the benefits of this extended length
I had about a one to two hour adjustment period to really
get comfortable. I found a lot of extra power from this
extended length, especially on my groundstrokes and my serves.
The extra half inch really helped out on my reach up at net or
returning serves. Like the standard length I found a great
combination of control, spin, and feel from all areas of the court.
I found a little bit more stability with this extended length
and really enjoyed playing both singles and doubles.
Like the standard length I thought I struggled a little with
comfort. It was a tad too stiff for me. Which was really noticeable
when I was hitting off centered shots. Overall I enjoyed this
extended length version a little bit more than the standard.
I also got to playtest this racquet and this was a new one for me,
I haven't really hit too many Babolat racquets in the past, I'm normally
a fan of a more classic traditional racquet, but I really enjoyed
the AeroPro Drive and I enjoyed the extended length version even more.
Just after a little bit of an adjustment period I got used to it
on my groundstrokes and I felt like I was just crushing the ball off the ground.
It's really forgiving, easy to swing, but that extended length gives it a little
bit more heft that I thought the standard length might have been missing
Really felt the difference on the serve. You've got that extra half inch
of torque. You can snap the ball down and hit some angles that I'm not
normally used to at my height. And then on the return,
even though it was an extended length racquet, the maneuverability
was still there, I was able to whip it around my body really quick
and time the returns. I thought the Active Cortex was a good improvement
from the previous versions, I hit the previous versions just so I could
get a feel for it and compare. The Active Cortex really gives it a
dampened, more soft feel. Overall this is one of my favorite racquets
that I've played with in a long time.
To learn more about this racquet or order a demo, make sure to
come to www.tennis-warehouse.com