Rafa’s racket through the years

 

Originally published on 21/06/17 00:00

There may have been a few changes of apparel during Nadal’s illustrious career, from the pirate look of the early years – who could forget the cut-off sleeves and the three-quarter length pants? But one thing has been constant since 2004 is his Babolat Pure Aero racket (AeroPro Drive).

There have been some adjustments to the racket set up as the Spaniard’s game has evolved, for example he added 2 grammes of extra weight to the frame in the winter of 2016.

Babolat have been with him all the way. “When we understood how strong he would be, we decided to build a new racket completely adapted to his game. A racket that focuses on power and spin,” explains Eric Babolat, CEO.

This is how the Babolat Aeropro Drive (now Pure Aero) was born, a unique racket courtesy of its famous aerodynamic section. It was designed with the technical collaboration of players and the Babolat team beginning in 2004.

“It is still more or less the same racket even though it has evolved with technological innovations made by Babolat. We also made tweaks on the frame,” explained Nadal, who won an unprecedented 10th French Open title at Roland Garros.

Babolat recently presented the Spaniard with the Pure Aero Decima, which has the trophies on the inside of the frame as well as yellow and orange colours to symbolise the AeroPro Drive and the clay courts of Roland Garros, the site of ten historic championships for Nadal.

For unique insight into Nadal’s relationship with Babolat and the changes that have been made to his chosen weapon click here.

 

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