Babolat Pure Strike 100 3rd Gen Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 84

Our playtesters all agreed that this third-generation Pure Strike 100 outperformed its predecessors. No stranger to the Pure Strike line, Jason noticed familiar playability with an updated feel. He said, "The ease of use is similar to that of the previous Pure Strike 100. I felt like I could pick up the racquet and be comfortable using it right away. It's quite maneuverable, so I could generate lots of spin and pace on my groundstrokes. I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to get easy depth with this racquet even though it's lighter than I'm used to. I think the biggest update is the feel. I was more connected to my shots, so I had a better idea of where they were going to land. Slices tended to float a little, but topspin shots were right on point."

Chris felt dialed in from the back of the court. He commented, "I loved trading groundstrokes with this racquet. I found the Pure Strike 100 to have an addictive blend of power and control. I was able to easily find depth even when pushed into defensive positions. Likewise, generating pace was super easy. Did it offer Pure Drive-like power? No, but I found ample power to hit all of my shots. Fortunately, I also felt very dialed in with the Pure Strike 100 and was able to control its power very well. On aggressive swings, I found a clean and crisp response that allowed me to place the ball accurately. When looking to play steadily, I was able to relax, let the racquet do the work and focus on my targets. All of my shots were working, and I had a ton of fun testing this racquet."

Although the specs were familiar to Brittany, she required some time to get used to the frame. She described, "Having plenty of experience with 100-square-inch Babolat racquets, the Pure Strike 100 specs are right in my wheelhouse. I wasn't the biggest fan of the previous version, and I felt Babolat made steps in the right direction with this update. The Pure Strike 100 offers more control and has a different feel than a Pure Drive or a Pure Aero. I found the most success on my groundstrokes when I took the ball early and redirected it using my opponent's pace. I had to work harder to create my own pace, especially on put-away groundstrokes. I did need a small adjustment period to get used to the beefier feel, but I used this to my advantage on my slices. However, I never got fully dialed in on my topspin backhand and struggled with the timing. This was tough because that's normally my favorite shot to hit."

Mark was pleasantly surprised with how well the racquet complemented his counterpunching baseline game. He said, "Often when I first test a new racquet I'm not aware of its specific weight and balance, which forces me to focus more on its unique qualities instead of what I think it should play like. Generally, I knew the new Pure Strike 100 was still a 300-gram, standard-length frame, so I expected it would be a faster swinging racquet. To my surprise, this new edition felt about as heavy and stable as a Pure Aero Plus. It did take me more than an hour of baseline play and one switch of strings to get the new Pure Strike 100 dialed in, but from there I liked it more and more from the baseline every time I played with it. Babolat's new offering absorbed pace nicely and provided easy access to spin, allowing me to play both offensively and defensively from the backcourt."

Volleys - Score: 82

Staying connected to the ball is important at net, and the Pure Strike 100 offered the feel and stability necessary for our playtesters to feel confident when moving forward. Brittany noted, "This update to the Pure Strike 100 offers more stability than the previous version, which is important when hitting tough volleys. However, I did have to focus on really punching my volleys deep when I wanted to end the point. Nonetheless, I was impressed with a couple pick up volleys that I was able to return to extend the point. This is normally not a strength of mine, and I appreciated getting some free points."

Mark was able to react quickly with the Pure Strike 100 when closing the net. He said, "Without any maneuverability issues and the same high degree of stability that the new Pure Strike 100 afforded me at the baseline, this racquet complemented my volley well. Even at full stretch and with off-center contact of the ball, I was able to execute some great point-preserving and point-ending volleys."

"I volleyed well with this racquet," said Chris. "While it didn't offer the same amount of power as my current racquet, I found plenty of power to punch volleys away. Just as I found on my groundstrokes, the racquet offered a very clean feel at net. I could tell immediately where my volleys were going to land the instant the ball left the strings. I also liked the blend of stability and maneuverability the Pure Strike 100 offered. I felt very confident with it in my hands, and I found myself volleying aggressively and more willing to take risks."

Although Jason prefers a bit more heft in the hoop to aid his volleys, he appreciated the feel and response when he found the sweetspot. He described, "I tend to volley off center more often than I care to admit, so I would've liked a bit more weight in the hoop to help with stability. It was better than the previous version, but there's still room for improvement. When I did make solid contact, I thought the racquet was really nice up at net with good feel, good access to spin and enough power to put away shots."

Serves - Score: 80

Access to spin and optimal control were the Pure Strike 100's key attributes on serves, and they helped our playtesters hit their spots with high accuracy. Brittany tapped into the high spin levels when serving. She said, "When it came to starting points, I stuck with hitting slice and kick serves. I wasn't able to easily generate power on a flat first serve, so I only hit those a couple times to give my opponent some variety. Regardless, I was very successful hitting slice out wide on my first serve. The feel was pretty consistent, so I was very confident in my aim, which let me take a couple more risks. Additionally, I could tap into the spin potential on second serves, and I never felt like my serve was getting attacked."

Jason also found success when spot serving. He said, "What the racquet lacks in power, it makes up for in control and consistency. I felt like I was hitting my spots well (better than average) and was serving at a high percentage. The spin I could put on my serve made it effective, and didn't always allow my opponents to tee off."

Pace, spin and control came together for Chris on serves. He explained, "The Pure Strike 100 worked well for me on serves. I was very happy with the amount of pace I was able to generate. My first serves had plenty of zip to them and were penetrating the court nicely. Again, getting spin with this racquet proved to be easy. My slice serves were biting nicely. On topspin serves, I was able to get enough spin to serve with lots of pace and still keep my shots inside the lines. I continued to have a high level of confidence with the Pure Strike 100 and had no hesitation serving for the corners or flirting with the lines."

Although specs of the Pure Strike 100 are different from what he usually prefers, Mark still felt right at home when serving with this racquet. He noted, "I typically prefer racquets that weigh more than 300 grams on serve, so I was a little surprised that I got the desired heavy-racquet effect on my serve. There was not a tremendous increase in my serve velocity, but the result was effective and effortless to produce."

Returns - Score: 81

With its control-oriented nature and generous access to spin, the Pure Strike 100 allowed our playtesters to swing through the ball and start off points strong when returning. Chris said, "I had zero complaints with the Pure Strike 100 on returns. The blend of power, control, stability and maneuverability was a great fit for me. My drive returns had solid pace and spin. I felt like I was hitting my forehand return especially well with it. The ball got in and out of the stringbed quickly, which gave the racquet a very crisp and precise feel. I liked how I could add spin with ease. The spin gave me some additional angle on cross-court returns, and I could go higher over the net for more margin for error and still get the ball to drop in."

Jason added, "I was able to return well and with variety with the Pure Strike 100. It was whippy enough that I could take a full swing at faster serves. Surprisingly, balls were still landing with some depth when I blocked or chipped a serve back."

The more time Mark spent on court, the more he could get dialed in to his favorite return tactics. He stated, "As with the groundstroke and volley portions of this playtest, it took more time for me to adjust to this frame than usual, but after that adjustment period, I was definitely rewarded. I chip the serve back into play most of the time, and the weight and balance of the Pure Strike 100 did cater to that option. What surprised me was that by the end of the testing period I got pretty confident with my topspin return."

Brittany felt very confident returning with the Pure Strike 100 in her hands. She described, "I preferred hitting returns over serving with the Pure Strike 100. I used the racquet's stability to my advantage and could swing out without any fear of overhitting. Most of my returns were landing deep in the middle of the court. I used the pace from my opponents' first serves to force them to move out of the way before they could hit their response back. This allowed me to stay in a neutral to offensive position at the start of the point. I did struggle to create my own pace when I had to return a second serve, though."

Overall - Score: 82