Babolat Pure Strike 97

At the time of writing, Wimbledon begins in about a week’s time so, as you’re reading this we’ll probably have no British players left in the tournament (I genuinely want to be wrong about that, go Raducanu!) yet somehow, it will have inspired many a young Brit to be picking up a racket and hopefully going on to great things! Of course, there are hundred of thousands of people that play regularly right now, many of them at a semi-professional/pro level and this is the market the Pure Strike 97 is aimed at.

The Pure Stike 97 has been designed to give you control. From the natural flax fibres in the grip to the tight string pattern, it’s all about making that link between arm and racquet feel completely natural. The flax fibres help to reduce the vibration of impact, giving you a much cleaner hit and feel while the tighter strings are able to take advantage of how they have been woven in to the frame to give you more ball-to-racquet time and greater control as a result (the ‘Woofer’ system).

It’s not just the strings and handle of course – you can’t have any level of control without the frame being right so Babolat have created a hybrid of a square and elliptical frame. The elliptical frame brings the flexibility that most players are accustomed to but the combination of this with the stability of a square frame gives you a level of control you’re going to find hard to replicate with other racquets aimed at the same market. Part of this success is down to the material used throughout the construction of the frame, a viscoelastic substance that helps to absorb vibration and sound, making that contact when you strike the ball feel all the more impactful. All-in-all, a great racquet for intermediate and advanced players. RRP £259.99

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