Where racquets and strings are concerned, Babolat needs no introduction. Ever since it rolled out the Pure Drive in the mid 1990s, its frames have become permanent fixtures at every level of the game.

A new string pattern and beam shape give the heaviest and most demanding of the Pure Drives much improved control.

Babolat tennis products manager, tells me. “The cherry on the cake is the string pattern is the same between the Pure Drive 100 and the lighter models, which means that if some players playing ...