Tennis Racquet Review: Babolat Drive Max 110

September 4th, 2013

I understand that the racquet companies want to sell tennis racquets to all tennis skill levels of the tennis community. I also get that 2.0 -3.0 players’ and\or senior players need racquets that will provide some power and what not, even in the absence of serious racquet head acceleration.

But even with the foregoing commercial disclaimer; I cannot in good faith defend the design and manufacture and sale of racquets like the Babolat Drive Max 110 tennis racquet. I could sit down and write a lot of industry friendly nonsense, and talk about the specific market that Babolat is going after with this racquet. But that would be serving a PR function and not a consumer information\criticism one.

This racquet hurt my arm after I head maybe a half dozen balls. Writing this review the spot on the inside of my elbow that was irritated from playing with this tennis racquet is throbbing some. There is simply no way that a company can make a racquet that weighs 9.7 ounces, is plus sized by a half inch and has a string bed with 16 (mains) X 20 (crosses) that is not going to play like a pingy trampoline.

I had no idea where the ball was going with this tennis racquet, the thing vibrated on contact like you would not believe and I just hated the whole experience on spec. The size of the head and the string bed made it fairly easy to spin the ball, but that is for sure damning with faint praise.

Babolat says that this frame offers ‘high power’ and ‘high comfort’ for the 2.0-4.0 players. I would say for sure that the former was a true statement, but not the latter. There are other better tennis racquets for these kinds of player level.

Marc Pinckney