Video Review |
Racquet Specs |
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True to its name, this racket is light, ultra light in fact. This is one of the lightest racquets in Babolat’s entire line, which makes it an attractive option for players looking for a lightweight frame. In addition to its lightness and high maneuverability, it features Babolat’s revolutionary Side Cortex vibration dampening system that is located on each side of the yoke for vibration reduction and comfort.
Serve: With a 100 square inch head size, this racquet has a good mix of power and control, which is conducive to a versatile serve. Since the racquet is lightly weighted, generating racket head speed is easy. The open 16 X 19 string pattern afforded spin access to spin. Groundstrokes: With a neutral stance in the line of power and control, this racket seemed to have enough of both worlds. Maneuverable and versatile allowed me to hit forehands, backhands, topspin, and backspin without any problems. But the light weight that makes this racket so easy to swing, proved to be of no avail in providing stability. Used to a heavy 95 square inch racket myself, I noticed a considerable drop in stability. Trying to bash from the baseline with a heavy hitter would be pointless with this racket in hand. Net Play: This racket displayed some decent touch. I was able to rapidly move the racket back and forth from the forehand side to the backhand side because of its light weight. But the importance of stability, and this rackets lack of it, was evident when trying to return heavily struck balls. Overall: The Babolat Drive Z Lite is an excellent frame. But without a doubt, it is not suited for everyone. Those that could benefit from this racket would be juniors making that transition into adult frames, and other petite players. |
