New Babolat Pure Strike unveiled
Originally published on 27/09/16 00:00
Dominic Thiem and Heather Watson turned heads at Wimbledon with the prototype, named Project One 7. The eye-catching white frame complete with flashes of orange and grey, combined with Babolat’s teaser campaign, certainly grabbed our attention.
Thiem and Watson were amongst 300 ambassadors worldwide playing with the prototype, branded only with the Babolat logo and the hashtag #ProjectOne7.
“What I like with this racket is that I can put the ball wherever I want, when I want,” says Thiem. “I can make my full swing and I can play really, really fast but still have a lot of control with it.
“I also like that when I hit the ball well, there is quite a special noise. Not only for me – the crowd can here it, too. For sure, my game has become better with this racket.”
James Lenton, Tennis Director at FC** Tennis Academy at Dukes Meadows in West London, was one of the testers who got his hands on the prototype back in March.
“It’s definitely a player’s racket,” Lenton told tennishead during the summer. “Anyone who is used to that more classical feel of racket will really enjoy using it. If you’re pushing the ball you are getting nothing out of the fame, you might as well use a Pure Drive or something that has a little bit more beef in the width of the frame.”
Testers were encouraged to give their feedback via social media.
“Never hit with anything quite like it,” said Rich Meade, while Thomas Jacobsson raved: “razor sharp precision and control.”
Babolat’s Hybrid Frame technology – with an added 1.5mm at 12, three and nine o’clock on the racket head, and an extra 1mm in the throat helps increase stability and precision. Meanwhile, the power comes from Babolat’s FSI Power technology, a new string pattern with enlarged space between the crosses.
“More tolerant, good control and more power – this is what our testers told us about their experience,” said Vincent Baptiste Closon, Tennis Rackets Marketing Director at Babolat.
“The overwhelmingly positive feedback confirms that this is the best answer for these aggressive modern players who want to take the lead on court and speed up their game with precision and power.
“And course they’re excited about the colour. The cosmetic is just bold, different.”
The Pure Strike range is designed for players who speed up the ball and need responsiveness to increase their precision. There are seven rackets in the series, ranging from the heaviest VS Tour at 320g to the Pure Strike Jr 26 weighing in at 250g.
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