How do you update one of the most popular racquets around? Start with the name, then add other distinct improvements to separate it from its lineage. The Pure Aero’s wider cross-string spacing and added string movement provided by oblong grommets—dubbed FSI Spin—are designed to enhance spin production. But it also makes for a more elastic hitting surface that provides added pop and a more muted response than its predecessor. In fact, serves are so heavy with this racquet and ground strokes so spin-laden, some testers felt as though they were cheating.
“An opponent told me in jest that my racquet should be illegal,” is how one tester put it. Some, though, felt this could be too much of a good thing, as the frame lacked the precision they prefer. “For players that can bring their own power and spin, the Pure Aero is like buying a chainsaw when all you need is a hedge clipper.” It’s also not adept for touch shots, but that’s not the frame’s intended audience. As one tester concluded: “I’ve been playing with the AeroPro Drive for the last six years and found it an easy transition. Loved it.”