Total Shares I was extremely fortunate enough to get my hands on a new 2013 Baboalt AeroPro Drive tennis racquet! This is the tennis racquet that former #1 and time French Open Champion, Rafael Nadal will be playing with during the 2013 season. What’s new on the 2013 Babolat AeroPro Drive? The fist thing I noticed is the cosmetic, it’s quite different than models past, though the new paint job works pretty good, I like it. New 2013 Babolat AeroPro Drive tennis racquet The second, and probably the most important change, is the Cortex System. Babolat introduced the new Cortex Active Technology in the, making the contact much less shocking, it’s a good thing they put it on the new Aero’s, it has been pretty stiff.
So a new dampening system is very much welcomed to this line. Some other changes that are not visually evident is the weight.
![Drive Drive](http://cdn.iofferphoto.com/img3/item/638/097/873/o_babolat-aero-pro-drive-cortex-nadal-2008-tennis-racket-f9e8.jpg)
Babolat AeroPro Drive Cortex vs Pure Storm Tour? Can anyone help me compare these two rackets? Like control, power, feel, etc. Babolat AeroPro Drive Cortex Babolat Pure Storm Tour I am a returning tennis player.
The 2013 Babolat AeroPro Drive weighs nearly the same as the previous model, strung with and a, it weighs in at 11.5 ounces. Also the swingweight has come down a little bit at 325 (331 in previous AeroPro Drive GT).
![Babolat Aeropro Drive Cortex Vs Gt Babolat Aeropro Drive Cortex Vs Gt](http://www.mauricerobinsonsports.com/images/pics/AeroProTeam2010.jpg)
There was also a balance change, from 4 points head light to 7 points; I presume that Babolat wanted to make the new Aero a bit more maneuverable. I was hoping the new technology and weight changes would make the 2013 Babolat AeroPro Drive a bit more arm friendly. Babolat also reduced the frame stiffness some, dropping from 70 to 69, not a huge change but maybe just enough to help. 2013 Babolat AeroPro Drive playtest review To me, the new frame felt more solid than the previous version. The swingweight felt hefty and more solid, I was looking forward to seeing what I could do with it.
The pop off the stringbed was pretty good, power from the stringbed was ample. Depth and speed was no problem, in fact, it was almost too much. It was raw power. It was firm and crisp.
The one lacking characteristic was spin. I wasn’t ripping topspin forehands like I have been able to do with other tennis racquets.
I received the 2013 Babolat AeroPro Drive strung with RPM Blast at 60lbsthat’s almost 20lbs more than what I would normally string with. Bulletboys sophie rara. I certainly didn’t feel that I was getting the “snap back” from the strings like I would at lower tensions. When I did get some topspin, it wasn’t that nasty, Nadal-esq kicking spin; sad yes, a deal breaker, no. If you have played with Babolat tennis racquets before, you know there’s a particular sound they make. I call it “tinny,” you might call it a “ping.” Whatever you call it, the new AeroPro made that sound. The frame sounded very hollow and tinny.
It didn’t have that plow-through feeling, it felt very empty because of that sound. I feel that Babolat had control on the mind when designing this tennis racquet. I could, with pinpoint accuracy, place the ball where and when I needed it. Down the line?