Babolat Pure Strike 16x19: Styles and Setups
Ability: Strong intermediate to advanced.
Styles: All court, Aggressive Baseliners, Counterpunchers
Recommended Strings: Full Polyester
For those: All court/Aggressive baseline players who want spin and control.
Like the Pure Drive, The Babolat Pure Strike 16x19 is a very balanced racket for strong intermediate to advanced players. It's got solid control and feel on groundstrokes, easy maneuverability up at net, good stability against a variety of shots, and there's good potential for spin. Unfortunately it is not suited for beginner players and some many not appreciate the rackets dampened feel.
Aggressive baseliners, such as Dominic Thiem, Anett Kontaveit, and Alizé
Cornet (professional players who endorse the Pure Strike) can use the racket to their advantage. The latest edition of the Pure Strike has a dampening technology, that greatly improves feel and provides extra touch. This may sacrifice a bit of power, but it can improve the players ability to place and control the ball. The frame design also makes the racket great for both groundstrokes and volleys, a baseliner's essential weapons. Along with that, it is easy to generate racket head speed to push your opponent off the court.
With its pure baseline play, the Pure Strike also performs well on serves and volleys, making it a great option for aggressive all court players. It plays well and fast from the baseline but if the player needs to be more offensive with serves and volleys, The Pure Strike can give them a crisp and comfortable response. Fast swings combined with good footwork is rewarded with aggressive and consistent shots. The stable feel, controllable power and nice precision can help players to defend more easily against fast shots or big serves. And the 98 square inch head size makes the Pure Strike maneuverable and easy to handle, with the 16x19 pattern offering some extra spin.
Cameron Norrie (who endorses the Pure Strike) is a modern counter puncher who possesses a solid net game, with serves and volleys. Counter Punchers will appreciate the Pure Strike's mobility at the net, along with the powerful groundstrokes one can hit with the signature Babolat power. It arguably offers better stability against pace and volleys compared to other Babolat rackets and the updated feel and forgiving string bed can benefit the counter punchers high ball tolerance and movement skills.
The recommended stringing tension range for the racket is between 50-59 lbs. As used by Dominic Thiem, the Babolat RPM Power 200m Tennis strings add an unprecedented level of power while maintaining spin. The added coating also gives the string a crisp feel. The Hyper-G Set is perfect for strong intermediate and advanced players looking for maximum spin and control without sacrificing feel. The rest of the Babolat strings can be found here. For more information on the Babolat Pure Strike, check out the main review.
