| Babolat AeroPro Drive Cortex Tennis Racquet Review |
When we reviewed the Babolat AeroPro Drive and AeroPro Drive Plus back in February of 2005, Rafael Nadal was on the rise as an up and coming player to watch. At that time he was ranked as high as 18th in the world. Over the next two years we have watched Rafa climb and settle into the number 2 position while dissecting most of his opponents with the AeroPro Drive. Still improving and hitting astonishing groundstrokes with regularity, would wielding the new AeroPro Drive Cortex help or hinder his game?
Sporting the new black, white and yellow of the AeroPro Drive Cortex, Rafa successfully defended his French Open crown in dominating fashion, gaining his third consecutive title.
Along with the new colors of this latest AeroPro Drive comes Babolat’s new and improved feel technology called Cortex – already a proven success in the Pure Drive line. Both the Aero Modular and Woofer technology remain for increased swing speed and improved comfort, respectively. All other aspects of the AeroPro Drive racquets remain unchanged.
To go along with Rafa’s three French Opens, would the new Cortex technology give the AeroPro Drive racquets the technological Triple Crown? We decided to hand the racquets to our in-house playtest team – a rabid bunch of tennis enthusiasts ready to hit the courts at the drop of a hat.
Babolat AeroPro Drive Cortex Standard
Groundstrokes
From the baseline, our testing crew was in agreement that the AeroPro Drive Cortex offered a solid, controlled feel. Getting the same solid feel from both sides was Ryan K. "This racquet was extremely solid for me on my groundstrokes. Whether I was hitting my forehand or two handed backhand, it felt like I could always find the sweetspot on this racquet. With the awesome amount of topspin I was able to create, I never felt like this racquet had too much power. I felt in control and was able to hit shots I wouldn’t usually go for, unlike the more flexible player styled racquet I usually play with. It felt very easy for me to set up for a shot and the racquet felt very maneuverable." Granville quickly found the groove with this racquet. "It took just a few crisp forehands to discover this racquet is at its best when smacking the ball like Nadal. Its soft feel translates into being able to simply crush the ball, knowing it will land deep into your opponent’s territory. Hitting it out/long will take some effort! Same on the backhand side – hitting out is the way to play with this racquet."
Giving top marks to the AeroPro Drive Cortex Standard from the baseline was Jason. "A real treat for the baseliner. I feel this is one of the best, if not the best, racquets for hitting groundstrokes. By taking full, loopy swings I could really take advantage of the open string pattern. The tremendous amount of topspin I found kept the ball deep and in play. A very stable and maneuverable racquet. I had no problems taking balls early, even with my one handed backhand. Control was fantastic and I really felt that I could precisely control the direction of my ball as well as the depth." Ryan S. was in agreement. "Wow! What a great racquet to hit groundstrokes with! Very, very impressive. I can’t remember hitting a better racquet from the baseline. Slices, heavy topspin, flat shots, everything seemed to be just awesome with this racquet. The only racquet I remember hitting with that had as much pop and control as I had with this racquet was the Head Agassi Limited Edition Radical. I was really able to "hit out" with this racquet and it felt really good to just whip around forehand after forehand, turning the ball into a heavy spinning monster! I loved this racquet from the baseline."
Chris experienced more comfort with the addition of the Cortex. "As with the previous version of this stick, I found excellent access to spin and some solid pace off the ground. Noticeably absent from the first hit was the raw feel of the original AeroPro Drive. With this Cortex version I found the feel to be plush and comfortable. The racquet still felt firm, but without the sharper edge of its predecessor. For such a maneuverable racquet I was able to hit a heavy ball, thanks to easy access to spin. I really liked the performance of this racquet with a co-polyester string in it, like Babolat Pro Hurricane Tour or Polyfibre TCS. These new age co-polys with their softer feel really worked great in this stick. I was able to be much more aggressive and really take advantage of the power of the racquet without losing control, thanks to the co-polyester stringbed. Ripping forehands was lots of fun, and I pretty much looked to do that whenever the opportunity arose." Finding an abundance of control was Spencer. "Hitting with the Aeropro Drive sparingly in the past, I came into the test with an open mind. Being able to put a little more time in with the Cortex version, I became very impressed with the amount of spin and control on my groundstrokes. The solid feel, especially on off-center shots, certainly helped my confidence. The balls seemed to have a bit more bounce as they were really jumping upon landing in my opponent’s court. I really enjoyed my hitting sessions (especially when strung up with polyester). My expectations were certainly exceeded with both forehands and backhands with this racquet. Gaining confidence with each stroke, I felt I was able to "zero in" and hit more winners than usual."
Volleys
Providing surprising stability at only 11.3 ounces, the AeroPro Drive Cortex was quite maneuverable while offering nice touch. This frame had the right characteristics for net play according to Chris. "At net the racquet felt firm, but comfortable. I found all the power I could want to help me get my volleys away. Maneuverability was impressive, and I felt like I was moving well when reaction time was limited. I had no problems feathering the ball short for drop volleys and angles or utilizing the power of the racquet to punch volleys deep. I kind of preferred the raw feel of the original at net, but was able to hit the same shots with this one – it was just that the feel was different." Granville was impressed with the maneuverability of the racquet. "A generous hoop/stringbed provided the AeroPro Drive Cortex with a comfortable sweetspot. Combined with the headlight balance and solid 11.3 ounce weight, I really got a sense of control and maneuverability when at net. Despite the mass and maneuverability, the racquet felt very different than my regular 95 square inch headsize racquet. I wouldn’t say it was better or worse – just different."
Ryan K. liked the attributes offered by the Cortex when volleying. "The standard length and generous head size for a mid-plus racquet made for a very comfortable feel at the net. The new Cortex made my volleys feel crisp, unlike the older model which had a "twangy" feel. The maneuverability was excellent. I always felt like the racquet was right there with me and I didn’t feel rushed setting up each volley." Ryan S. enjoyed the stability and crisp feel. "Volleys were also fairly impressive with this one. Maneuverability was good. Volleys were crisp at contact. I found good stability and there wasn’t any twisting action on my wrist. I liked volleying with this stick."
Not disappointed, yet not thrilled with this racquet’s net play was Jason. "I liked it, but didn’t love it. Putting away easy shots and overheads was not a problem, but I felt the racquet was a bit sluggish hitting pick up volleys and shots directed at my body. However, the racquet did feel stable and torque was minimal." Spencer had similar sentiments. "I liked the stability. Maneuverability was decent, but I was more impressed with the crisp feel and how the racquet didn’t waver upon contact. I was able to put away sitters with pace and the touch was nice, also."
Serves
Though spin and power seemed to be enjoyed by most, serving consistency was a bit of a mixed bag with the AeroPro Drive Cortex. Spencer had issues finding the groove. "Though groundstrokes were great, it took me awhile to get a comfortable feel on the serve. I can’t exactly place my finger on it, maybe the swingweight, but I couldn’t get any consistency at the beginning. However, I did adjust to it, and once in a groove I found I could generate some good spin. That would be the highpoint in this category. Definitely not my first choice when serving." Ryan S. was in agreement. "Serving was my least favorite shot with this racquet, even though I enjoyed it very much. I had a little bit of trouble finding a groove with this racquet. I’m not sure what attributed to that, but when I was on, it was really good. Spin was extremely easy to come by. My kick serve had plenty of kick. The nice thing is that there was good power out of this racquet to go with the impressive spin. If it wasn’t for my trouble in being consistent with this racquet, meaning I would be long one serve and then I would be short and in the net, I would have enjoyed serving with it much more. So, finding that sweetspot on serve was a bit more difficult than usual for me."
Having difficulties maximizing performance was Granville "I served well with the AeroPro Drive Standard Cortex but feel I would need extended practice to take full advantage of the performance of the racquet. My balls were coming in with good power and I could place the ball where I had intended. My kickers seemed to have the same "action" as with my normal racquet, but the lack of "crispness" offered a bit less feedback than I am accustomed to." Jason enjoyed the spin and control but felt the racquet lacked power. "If I had to nitpick and choose one thing I didn’t like about this racquet, serving would be it. But not all serves, just first serves. I couldn’t generate the power that I would’ve liked on a hard, flat first serve. Slices and kick serves were great. I could really put some action on the ball and get it to go in the general direction I wanted."
Ryan K. found immediate comfort with this racquet. "I could tell after only a couple serves that this racquet created great power and spin on my serves. I could see that the stiffness of the racquet was helping me generate more power, but with the Cortex system it felt like I was hitting with a more flexible frame. I had no arm shock, even though I was playing with a 16 gauge polyester. There were no adjustments needed in my serve, I just picked it up and was instantly comfortable with it." Feeling similarities to his usual racquet of choice was Chris "My serves had plenty of power and plenty of spin. I was also serving with good consistency. I found this stick to perform similar to my Pure Drive Roddick on serve – one of the reasons I love my current stick! Again, I had the best results when using a co-polyester string, and I was able to find a little extra kick on spin serves."
Serve Returns
As with groundstrokes, the versatility of the AeroPro Drive Cortex allowed many options while returning serve. Ryan S. felt the racquet allowed him to return aggressively. "Returning serves was great. Like with my groundstrokes, I found it very easy to be aggressive with this racquet. There was some good stability from the racquet on heavy serves. Also, a key contrast in this racquet from it’s predecessor is that there wasn’t any jarring on my arm from impact with the ball. The previous version felt more jarring – not so with this one. Just a great racquet to hit with." Chris liked the control from the stringbed. "I was returning aggressively with this stick. I was able to find my targets consistently and had lots of confidence, which allowed me to really go after my shots. With plenty of bite coming from the stringbed and a nice dose of power, I was able to rip some cross court returns with lots of pace and spin. I also liked the level of power when blocking returns. I was able to guide the ball with good depth and use my opponent’s pace to neutralize the serve."
Ryan K. had confidence attacking off the return. "My serve returns were solid, like every other shot with this racquet. I felt like I could be very aggressive with my returns and never felt a loss of control." Jason raved about the large sweetspot and maneuverability. "Very similar to groundstrokes, rock solid! Not only was I able to block shots back on big serves, but occasionally I was even able to put pace on the ball as well."
Granville enjoyed the many options he had with this racquet when returning. "With good mass and a 100 sq. inch head you will enjoy many options when returning serve. If you have time to set-up and get over the ball you’ll be able to put the ball left, right or up the middle with good pace. If defensive, as long as you can get the stringbed on the ball you can get the ball back over the net. You can bleed off the pace and drop it low to your opponent’s feet or simply block it back safely." Spencer agreed. "A lot of options on return of serve. The racquet is strong enough to block back a serve with some depth. I was also able to hit some well paced penetrating returns without a ton of effort when opportunities presented themselves."
Overall
As our three-week playtest came to a close, our crew concluded that the AeroPro Drive Cortex is a legitimate update to the former version. Adding the Cortex technology to the AeroPro Drive Standard makes a noticeable difference in how this racquet feels when making contact with the ball. While opinions varied in some categories while testing, overall the general consensus was very positive. Groundstrokes seemed to be the biggest hit (no pun intended), receiving the most praise from our crew. With the amazing spin and control we generated with this stick (especially strung with a co-poly), it’s only natural to want to shout "Vamos!" when hitting that big spinning forehand for a winner.
Last Shots from our playtesters
