Reviewing the racket that helped Dominic Thiem win the US Open

Dominic Thiem described seeing the Babolat Pure Strike 100 for the first time as “love at first sight”, and the following year it helped him win his first Grand Slam title in New York, after an intense five-set battle with Alexander Zverev.

Thiem endorses the full range of Babolat Pure Strike series of rackets and has even had a say in the design, “It is a dream come true for me," said the 2020 US Open champion.

“I took it in Spain, and I had an incredible feeling straight away on the court. Everything was working. It is very important that all the strokes are working and that I don’t lose any feeling on the volley or on the slice.”

Thiem adds,” It feels very stable in my hands. Very good control, but still a lot of power so it is perfect.”

For this racket, Babolat incorporated two new technologies that are exclusive to their rackets. Cortex Pure Feel is one of those, and it helps offer better vibration dampening due to a new material that is integrated in the graphite of the racket.

Control Frame is the other new technology, and it was developed to ensure that players have maximum control, combining the stability of a square beam frame with the dynamism of a regular elliptic structure.

We asked our tester Owen, a 21-year-old who usually plays with a Wilson Blade and looks to generate lots of topspin on both wings, to see what he thought of this racket.

“It came across as a very light racket, mainly in the head, which makes it feel like an easier swing and I was putting less effort in.”

He adds, “A really clean hit, but definitely lots of spin. It feels easier to come up the back of the ball to generate spin. It also felt good for serving, because it’s light it felt effortless.”

Owen also felt that the racket enhanced areas of his game where he is perhaps not so confident, “When I volleyed with it there was so much feel. I’m not the strongest volleyer, but this made a massive difference. It just feels comfortable and controllable in your hand.”

This racket has clearly made an impression on a variety of different players for its light nature, while still being able to generate a generous amount of power. When the racket was released its RRP was £190, but All Things Tennis are now selling it for £144.99.

We stock the full range of Babolat tennis rackets here at All Things Tennis so we are confident you'll find something to suit your budget and playing standard.

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