Racquet Playtest Comparison: Pure Drive Roddick vs. O3 White vs. TFlash 290
Your Name: TripleB on the Talk Tennis message boards
Your Playing Level: 4.5
Your regular racquet, string & tension: Yonex Nano Speed RQ7 Midplus; Luxilon Big Banger ALU Power 16L mains at 60 pounds and Gosen OG Sheep Micro 16g crosses at 58 pounds; 4 5/8 inch grip plus a Wilson Cushion Aire Super Tack overgrip
Tell us about your game: All court player; full western forehand grip; two-handed backhand; heavy topspin and slice from both sides; medium length strokes; fast swing speed. Power: Babolat Pure Drive Roddick: The power level of the Pure Drive Roddick was a vast improvement over that found in the original Pure Drive Standard due to the fact that the power level was uniform throughout the entire face of the racquet. It didn't feel dead around the edges nor did it have a trampoline effect in the middle. I could take a medium length swing and get enough power out of the racquet to hit winners off both sides. The power level of this racquet while serving was perfect. I could really blast bombs up the middle, into the corners, and most importantly into my opponent's body. With racquets I typically use, I don't find enough power to make the serve into the body work, but with the Pure Drive Roddick it became a highly effective serving tactic for me. The power level at net was good but I didn't have a lot of success at net because the control level just wasn't as high there as with the other two racquets. It also didn't help matters that the stiffness level made all feel disappear. The power level of the racquet was addictive and I found myself going back to this racquet more and more as the playtest went on.
Babolat Pure Drive Roddick Racquets
Some added heft and a stiffer frame combine to give the Pure Drive Roddick a more solid feel and slightly more power compared to the Pure Drive. Spin friendly, maneuverable and stable, this one brings the goods from all areas of the court. Prince O3 White Racquet
Maria Sharapova's racquet, this one offers power, control, comfort and maneuverability. Well suited to an all court game. Features a 27" frame length, 100sq. in. headsize and a 16/19 string pattern. Tecnifibre TFlash 290 Racquets
Blends some useful power, good access to spin and a stable response at impact to create a racquet with broad appeal. Headsize: 102sq. in. Length: Standard (27”). String pattern: 16/19. Weight: 11 ounces (strung).
Prince 03 White: Although the 03 White offered power a notch or two below the Pure Drive Roddick, I really enjoyed the overall power level of this racquet. It seemed to offer what I now look for in a racquet - more power than the player's racquets I've used in the past (Prince Original Graphite Mid, Yonex RDX-500 Midplus, etc.) without going to the "trampoline" power level where some balls tend to fly for no apparent reason. The lower power level compared to the PD Roddick didn't allow me to have as much success on my 1st serves (the serve into the body wasn't nearly as effective with this racquet), but it was enough for me to squeak out an occasional ace when going for the corners of the box. The power level at net couldn't have been any better. The racquet had the perfect amount of power to punch volleys into the corner and the extra dwell time that the 03 grommets allowed made touch angles a breeze. The only problem I found with the power level came from the fact that there wasn't enough mass coming through the hitting zone. The 03 White seemed a little too light while hitting groundstrokes therefore my shots tended to land a little short compared to the Pure Drive Roddick.
Tecnifibre TFlash 290: The power level of the TFlash was well below that of the Roddick and slightly below what I found with the 03 White. This racquet reminded me of the Volkl Tour 9 V-Engine in many aspects, with the power level being one of them. The power level required me to be aggressive on my groundstrokes and to take a big swing on my serve in order to get good pace on the ball. While this used to be a characteristic I looked for in a racquet, my body is now telling me that it's time to let the racquet take over some of the work for me. I found absolutely no free power with this racquet on serves and that lack of power really made me struggle at net. I just couldn't seem to put the ball away with authority. I had problems on my return of serve when going up against guys with huge first serves because the racquet got pushed around due to the lack of weight. There wasn't enough power to block balls back effectively either. I thought that the stiffness of the TFlash would result in a power level able to put short balls away with ease, unfortunately that wasn't the case.
Control:
Babolat Pure Drive Roddick: I was surprised at the amount of control this racquet offered - especially with the lack of control I experienced with past Pure Drive racquets. I'm not sure if it was the extra weight helping add stability to my groundstrokes or the Cortex system at work, but I was hitting balls deep in the corners on a regular basis. Groundstrokes with the Pure Drive Roddick were very consistent and with the power available on demand, they also proved to be extremely effective. While serves with this racquet were huge, they were surprisingly accurate also. Typically, if I find a racquet that I can serve bombs with, I lose all of my control. This racquet offers the best combination of serving power and accuracy I've ever seen (hence the 90 in the 'Serve and Overhead' category). I think the higher power level allowed me to slow my service motion down and concentrate on placement because I knew the power I needed was going to be there. Control on my volleys was a bit sporadic because of the extra power boost, but if I decided not to be lazy then volleys were controllable enough to give me confidence in a net oriented game.
Prince 03 White: The 03 technology created such a comfy feel that it helped this racquet in the control category because the balls seemed to stay on the strings forever. It almost felt as though you were catching the ball on the strings and throwing it where you wanted it to go. Although I struggled with the depth of my shots, I still had excellent control when running my opponent from sideline to sideline. Since I wasn't able to get the depth I was hoping for with my groundstrokes, my favorite shot with this racquet (other than the volley) was the crosscourt backhand where the angle was so extreme it pulled my opponent outside the doubles alley. At the net the control was amazing with touch volleys a breeze and powerful volleys a joy. There is nothing that this racquet can't do at net and while using this racquet I spent much more time up there than I ever have in the past. The control with the 03 White on flat serves was adequate but this racquet really stood out from the rest when I went for a slice serve or the high kicker. The control with this racquet when using spin is so incredible that it allowed me to swing out and still feel comfortable that the ball would fall into the service box exactly where I aimed.
Tecnifibre TFlash 290: Even though this racquet was a little on the stiff side and the sweetspot seemed tiny, I had excellent control with it. I think the excellent maneuverability of this racquet really allowed me to hold my shots and then direct them where I wanted them to go. Depth control was spot on and the racquet was maneuverable enough to where moving the ball from side to side didn't require a great deal of effort. Accuracy at net was above average, but I didn't feel like I had enough pop on my volleys. This made me really struggle, especially in a heated doubles match. With that lack of pop on volleys, the other alternative was to use touch volleys to create winners. However the stiffness seemed to remove too much feel. Therefore, volleys that involved excellent touch weren't a viable option either. Control on my serves was mediocre due to the fact I had to swing so hard to get much power out of the racquet. I seemed to lose some consistency on my serve when trying to place the ball where I wanted because of my excessive swing speed.
Maneuverability:
Babolat Pure Drive Roddick: As expected, the extra weight of the Pure Drive Roddick (compared to the other two racquets in this playtest) caused the maneuverability of this racquet to be reduced. Although not slow, this racquet didn't have the feather-light feel of the 03 White or the TFlash. The lack of maneuverability wasn't really that noticeable unless I began the day with one of the other two racquets and then switched to the Pure Drive Roddick. The lack of maneuverability (compared to the White and TFlash) really helped me on the serve. Yes I did say helped me out. I couldn't get the racquet moving as fast which made me allow the racquet to create more of the power and in turn that seemed to help my control. At net the racquet was a little tough to get into position, but I donÕt' think any great volleyer (which I'm not) would have a problem getting the racquet into the correct position for effective volleys.
Prince 03 White: Maneuverability with the 03 White was well above average and only a small step below what I achieved with the TFlash 290. The favorite area of the court for me with this racquet was the net because it seemed like the maneuverability, power, control, and touch of this racquet all came together to make for a perfect volleying racquet. On serves I was able to get this racquet moving quickly through the hitting zone, which made my kick serves take huge bounces once they hit. However, on groundstrokes I think adding a little lead tape to this racquet would make it more to my liking. The 03 White was so maneuverable that at times I found myself way out in front of the ball, especially on the backhand side.
Tecnifibre TFlash 290: The TFlash 290, being the lightest racquet of the three, also offered the best maneuverability of the group. It felt like an eleven ounce racquet, but in my opinion feels more headlight than 3 points and plays like the swing weight is closer to 310 than 323. As far as maneuverability, it plays very similar to the Dunlop 300G I playtested a year or two ago. It's very quick through the hitting zone and I had a big advantage at net during quick doubles exchanges. It was also easy to get it moving quickly during my service motion, however, I would have liked a little more mass in the racquet to go along with the quickness. The lightness of the racquet offered fantastic maneuverability but made all shots a little on the weak side.
Stability:
Babolat Pure Drive Roddick: I think the area of stability is where the extra weight of the Roddick Pure Drive pays big dividends. I've used the Pure Drive Team in the past and the lack of mass in the head really allowed the racquet to be pushed around at will. With the Pure Drive Roddick weighing in at 11.7 ounces and only 5 points headlight, the stability of this racquet is excellent. At times, typically with balls hit near the top of the racquet face, I was reminded of the 'hollow' feel of the original Pure Drive, but overall I would say the Pure Drive Roddick is a much improved version of the original in the area of stability. At net the racquet remained stable even when put up against some hard hitters that were trying to take my head off. Serves were rock solid.
Prince 03 White: With the 03 White I didn't feel like there was quite enough mass in the head to make this an extremely stable racquet. I think that the 03 technology made this racquet feel more stable than it really was because, even though the feel was solid when balls were hit near the edges of the face, the racquet got pushed around a great deal when up against heavy hitters. It wasn't so noticeable at net but at the baseline I encountered problems when I didn't have time to get set against hard hit shots. With a few grams of lead tape at 3 and 9, I think the racquet would be more adapt at banging groundstrokes due to the greater stability. The 03 White seemed solid on serves except when balls were hit near the top of the racquet face.
Tecnifibre TFlash 290: As I alluded to in the 'Power' section of this review, this racquet's lack of stability really showed when I played against big hitting opponents. Although the fact that this racquet is only 3 points headlight helped stability somewhat. Overall, I often felt overpowered because the racquet got pushed around so much. Much of the time this caused my groundstrokes to be terribly inconsistent. My biggest problem came when I was up against big serving opponents who liked to serve out wide. Due to the nice maneuverability I was able to get the racquet on ball, but the stability was so poor the racquet pushed around and balls landed much shorter than they did with the other two racquets.
Comfort:
Babolat Pure Drive Roddick: The extra weight that increased stability with the Pure Drive Roddick also increased the comfort level of this racquet. Although it isn't a "soft as a pillow" comfort like the 03 White offers, it is an upgrade from the past Pure Drive models I've played with. I will say that the stiffness of the Pure Drive Roddick didn't allow for much touch or feel from any part of the court and made slice backhands sit up a little more than usual. But as a testament to the comfort level of this racquet, I played four hours of tennis one night (3 sets of singles and 2 sets of doubles) and my arm never hurt once. Serves and volleys also reminded me how much improved the comfort level of the Roddick version is over past Pure Drive racquets.
Prince 03 White: I own the Prince More Control DB800 as well as the Prince Triple Threat Warrior (the two previous incarnations of this racquet) so I assumed that the comfort level of the 03 White would be similar to these two racquets. The comfort level of the White is much greater than the two racquets mentioned above (the 03 grommets at work I guess). The RDC of 65 also makes the 03 White much more comfortable than the DB800 and TT Warrior over the long haul of a match. The DB800 and Warrior have both caused me arm problems in the past but I felt the 03 White would be different. To test my "easier on the elbow" theory I played with the 03 White for a set and then pulled out my More Control DB800. Within two games my elbow was starting to ache while using the DB800. I quickly switched back to the 03 White, the pain diminished, and after a couple games was completely gone. The plush feel of the 03 White (more plush than any racquet I've tried) is an acquired taste. Some players used to a playerÕs racquet feel might dislike the feel of the O3 White. By the way, I used the soft grommet version of the 03 White for this playtest.
Tecnifibre TFlash 290: The comfort level of the TFlash was the weakest part of the racquet. It's light weight and stiffness seemed to make this racquet very uncomfortable if I didn't find the sweetspot. Stringing it at a lower tension or using a softer string (maybe natural gut) may help ease the harshness of the racquet, but the NXT string and tension it was strung at just didn't mesh well. Stretch volleys where I was barely able to get a racquet on the ball really seemed to be difficult for my arm to take. This racquet also seemed to tire my serving arm (I serve lefty and play righty) more than any other sub-12 ounce racquet ever has.
Spin:
Babolat Pure Drive Roddick: The Pure Drive Roddick was the best of this bunch at creating heavy topspin. This made it a joy to play with when pounding it out from the baseline using heavy groundstrokes. Extreme topspin could be used to keep my opponent deep in the court, create impressive angles, or get that beautiful dipper at my opponent's feet when he was at net. The ability to get incredible spin on the ball with the Pure Drive Roddick was also a big plus when going for those high kicking serves that leave opponents in bewilderment. After the huge bomb up the middle, my favorite serve with this racquet was the kicker out wide on the deuce side. Hit that serve and rush the net - no stopping that attack. Unfortunately, slice wasn't as nice. The ball never really felt like it had enough dwell time on the strings when I was trying to hit my, usually deadly, slice. The ball sat up a bit and never had the pace I'm accustomed to when using my Nano Speed RQ7 or RDX 500 Midplus. Compared to the other two racquets in this playtest the Pure Drive Roddick gave the worst results when trying to use slice as a weapon.
Prince 03 White: While the Pure Drive Roddick created the best topspin of these three racquets, the 03 White offered the nicest combination of topspin and slice. The kick I was getting on my serve was nothing short of a miracle. I don't typically have a huge kicker of a serve but with this racquet I felt like a professional as I watched the ball kick up over my opponents head. As I mentioned before my favorite shot with the 03 White was the crosscourt backhand with a sharp angle. This racquet, with it's maneuverability and amazing topspin, makes this shot so easy it's astonishing. If that wasn't fun enough, I could always use the even easier-to-come by slice and send a backhand down the line, watch it barely go over the net (oh, so low), not come up off the court, and rush in to put the easy volley away. With the heavy spin for my serves, deep biting slice, and comfort level at net, I think I would be hard pressed to find a better serve and volley racquet than this one.
Tecnifibre TFlash 290: The TFlash offered a nice combination of slice and topspin and, other than maneuverability, were my two favorite areas of this racquet. For such a stiff racquet I found the slice to stay relatively low and had some decent bite, especially off the backhand side. This racquet offered better slice potential than the Pure Drive Roddick but was lacking in the topspin department compared to the other two racquets in this playtest. There was good kick on my second serves out wide, but when I got used to seeing balls kick above an opponentÕs head (as is the case with the 03 White) it's a little disappointing. It's a well above average racquet when referring to spin potential, but pales ever so slightly when compared to the 03 White and Pure Drive Roddick.
Final Thoughts:
Babolat Pure Drive Roddick: An excellent leap forward from the original Pure Drive Standard in terms of solid feel and controllable power. It offers a much better combination of power and control than I was expecting before I started the playtest and although it has some weaknesses, the power of this racquet was addictive and something I enjoyed more and more as the playtest went on. It's my favorite racquet of the three and it is a racquet where the racquet as a whole is much greater than the sum of its parts (ie: the various categories listed above).
Prince 03 White: A very good all court racquet that offers easy access to spin (top/slice/kick), is incredible at net, with control that is above average. It plays very similar to a standard length version of my Yonex Nano Speed RQ7 with better mobility and better touch at the net. It is a serve and volleyers dream racquet but as Maria Sharapova proved at the US Open, it's at home on the baseline too. The only real problem I found with this racquet was the lack of mass coming through the hitting zone and for that reason the 03 White finishes in second place behind the Pure Drive Roddick in this playtest. Tecnifibre TFlash 290: A slightly above average racquet that offers excellent control, fantastic maneuverability, and good access to spin. However, the overly stiff feeling caused problems in a few areas of my game (and body) and therefore was my least favorite racquet in this playtest.
Your Name: TripleB on the Talk Tennis message boards
Your Playing Level: 4.5
Your regular racquet, string & tension: Yonex Nano Speed RQ7 Midplus; Luxilon Big Banger ALU Power 16L mains at 60 pounds and Gosen OG Sheep Micro 16g crosses at 58 pounds; 4 5/8 inch grip plus a Wilson Cushion Aire Super Tack overgrip
Tell us about your game: All court player; full western forehand grip; two-handed backhand; heavy topspin and slice from both sides; medium length strokes; fast swing speed. Power: Babolat Pure Drive Roddick: The power level of the Pure Drive Roddick was a vast improvement over that found in the original Pure Drive Standard due to the fact that the power level was uniform throughout the entire face of the racquet. It didn't feel dead around the edges nor did it have a trampoline effect in the middle. I could take a medium length swing and get enough power out of the racquet to hit winners off both sides. The power level of this racquet while serving was perfect. I could really blast bombs up the middle, into the corners, and most importantly into my opponent's body. With racquets I typically use, I don't find enough power to make the serve into the body work, but with the Pure Drive Roddick it became a highly effective serving tactic for me. The power level at net was good but I didn't have a lot of success at net because the control level just wasn't as high there as with the other two racquets. It also didn't help matters that the stiffness level made all feel disappear. The power level of the racquet was addictive and I found myself going back to this racquet more and more as the playtest went on.
Babolat Pure Drive Roddick Racquets
Some added heft and a stiffer frame combine to give the Pure Drive Roddick a more solid feel and slightly more power compared to the Pure Drive. Spin friendly, maneuverable and stable, this one brings the goods from all areas of the court. Prince O3 White Racquet Maria Sharapova's racquet, this one offers power, control, comfort and maneuverability. Well suited to an all court game. Features a 27" frame length, 100sq. in. headsize and a 16/19 string pattern. Tecnifibre TFlash 290 Racquets Blends some useful power, good access to spin and a stable response at impact to create a racquet with broad appeal. Headsize: 102sq. in. Length: Standard (27”). String pattern: 16/19. Weight: 11 ounces (strung). Prince 03 White: Although the 03 White offered power a notch or two below the Pure Drive Roddick, I really enjoyed the overall power level of this racquet. It seemed to offer what I now look for in a racquet - more power than the player's racquets I've used in the past (Prince Original Graphite Mid, Yonex RDX-500 Midplus, etc.) without going to the "trampoline" power level where some balls tend to fly for no apparent reason. The lower power level compared to the PD Roddick didn't allow me to have as much success on my 1st serves (the serve into the body wasn't nearly as effective with this racquet), but it was enough for me to squeak out an occasional ace when going for the corners of the box. The power level at net couldn't have been any better. The racquet had the perfect amount of power to punch volleys into the corner and the extra dwell time that the 03 grommets allowed made touch angles a breeze. The only problem I found with the power level came from the fact that there wasn't enough mass coming through the hitting zone. The 03 White seemed a little too light while hitting groundstrokes therefore my shots tended to land a little short compared to the Pure Drive Roddick.
Tecnifibre TFlash 290: The power level of the TFlash was well below that of the Roddick and slightly below what I found with the 03 White. This racquet reminded me of the Volkl Tour 9 V-Engine in many aspects, with the power level being one of them. The power level required me to be aggressive on my groundstrokes and to take a big swing on my serve in order to get good pace on the ball. While this used to be a characteristic I looked for in a racquet, my body is now telling me that it's time to let the racquet take over some of the work for me. I found absolutely no free power with this racquet on serves and that lack of power really made me struggle at net. I just couldn't seem to put the ball away with authority. I had problems on my return of serve when going up against guys with huge first serves because the racquet got pushed around due to the lack of weight. There wasn't enough power to block balls back effectively either. I thought that the stiffness of the TFlash would result in a power level able to put short balls away with ease, unfortunately that wasn't the case.
Control:
Babolat Pure Drive Roddick: I was surprised at the amount of control this racquet offered - especially with the lack of control I experienced with past Pure Drive racquets. I'm not sure if it was the extra weight helping add stability to my groundstrokes or the Cortex system at work, but I was hitting balls deep in the corners on a regular basis. Groundstrokes with the Pure Drive Roddick were very consistent and with the power available on demand, they also proved to be extremely effective. While serves with this racquet were huge, they were surprisingly accurate also. Typically, if I find a racquet that I can serve bombs with, I lose all of my control. This racquet offers the best combination of serving power and accuracy I've ever seen (hence the 90 in the 'Serve and Overhead' category). I think the higher power level allowed me to slow my service motion down and concentrate on placement because I knew the power I needed was going to be there. Control on my volleys was a bit sporadic because of the extra power boost, but if I decided not to be lazy then volleys were controllable enough to give me confidence in a net oriented game.
Prince 03 White: The 03 technology created such a comfy feel that it helped this racquet in the control category because the balls seemed to stay on the strings forever. It almost felt as though you were catching the ball on the strings and throwing it where you wanted it to go. Although I struggled with the depth of my shots, I still had excellent control when running my opponent from sideline to sideline. Since I wasn't able to get the depth I was hoping for with my groundstrokes, my favorite shot with this racquet (other than the volley) was the crosscourt backhand where the angle was so extreme it pulled my opponent outside the doubles alley. At the net the control was amazing with touch volleys a breeze and powerful volleys a joy. There is nothing that this racquet can't do at net and while using this racquet I spent much more time up there than I ever have in the past. The control with the 03 White on flat serves was adequate but this racquet really stood out from the rest when I went for a slice serve or the high kicker. The control with this racquet when using spin is so incredible that it allowed me to swing out and still feel comfortable that the ball would fall into the service box exactly where I aimed.
Tecnifibre TFlash 290: Even though this racquet was a little on the stiff side and the sweetspot seemed tiny, I had excellent control with it. I think the excellent maneuverability of this racquet really allowed me to hold my shots and then direct them where I wanted them to go. Depth control was spot on and the racquet was maneuverable enough to where moving the ball from side to side didn't require a great deal of effort. Accuracy at net was above average, but I didn't feel like I had enough pop on my volleys. This made me really struggle, especially in a heated doubles match. With that lack of pop on volleys, the other alternative was to use touch volleys to create winners. However the stiffness seemed to remove too much feel. Therefore, volleys that involved excellent touch weren't a viable option either. Control on my serves was mediocre due to the fact I had to swing so hard to get much power out of the racquet. I seemed to lose some consistency on my serve when trying to place the ball where I wanted because of my excessive swing speed.
Maneuverability:
Babolat Pure Drive Roddick: As expected, the extra weight of the Pure Drive Roddick (compared to the other two racquets in this playtest) caused the maneuverability of this racquet to be reduced. Although not slow, this racquet didn't have the feather-light feel of the 03 White or the TFlash. The lack of maneuverability wasn't really that noticeable unless I began the day with one of the other two racquets and then switched to the Pure Drive Roddick. The lack of maneuverability (compared to the White and TFlash) really helped me on the serve. Yes I did say helped me out. I couldn't get the racquet moving as fast which made me allow the racquet to create more of the power and in turn that seemed to help my control. At net the racquet was a little tough to get into position, but I donÕt' think any great volleyer (which I'm not) would have a problem getting the racquet into the correct position for effective volleys.
Prince 03 White: Maneuverability with the 03 White was well above average and only a small step below what I achieved with the TFlash 290. The favorite area of the court for me with this racquet was the net because it seemed like the maneuverability, power, control, and touch of this racquet all came together to make for a perfect volleying racquet. On serves I was able to get this racquet moving quickly through the hitting zone, which made my kick serves take huge bounces once they hit. However, on groundstrokes I think adding a little lead tape to this racquet would make it more to my liking. The 03 White was so maneuverable that at times I found myself way out in front of the ball, especially on the backhand side.
Tecnifibre TFlash 290: The TFlash 290, being the lightest racquet of the three, also offered the best maneuverability of the group. It felt like an eleven ounce racquet, but in my opinion feels more headlight than 3 points and plays like the swing weight is closer to 310 than 323. As far as maneuverability, it plays very similar to the Dunlop 300G I playtested a year or two ago. It's very quick through the hitting zone and I had a big advantage at net during quick doubles exchanges. It was also easy to get it moving quickly during my service motion, however, I would have liked a little more mass in the racquet to go along with the quickness. The lightness of the racquet offered fantastic maneuverability but made all shots a little on the weak side.
Stability:
Babolat Pure Drive Roddick: I think the area of stability is where the extra weight of the Roddick Pure Drive pays big dividends. I've used the Pure Drive Team in the past and the lack of mass in the head really allowed the racquet to be pushed around at will. With the Pure Drive Roddick weighing in at 11.7 ounces and only 5 points headlight, the stability of this racquet is excellent. At times, typically with balls hit near the top of the racquet face, I was reminded of the 'hollow' feel of the original Pure Drive, but overall I would say the Pure Drive Roddick is a much improved version of the original in the area of stability. At net the racquet remained stable even when put up against some hard hitters that were trying to take my head off. Serves were rock solid.
Prince 03 White: With the 03 White I didn't feel like there was quite enough mass in the head to make this an extremely stable racquet. I think that the 03 technology made this racquet feel more stable than it really was because, even though the feel was solid when balls were hit near the edges of the face, the racquet got pushed around a great deal when up against heavy hitters. It wasn't so noticeable at net but at the baseline I encountered problems when I didn't have time to get set against hard hit shots. With a few grams of lead tape at 3 and 9, I think the racquet would be more adapt at banging groundstrokes due to the greater stability. The 03 White seemed solid on serves except when balls were hit near the top of the racquet face.
Tecnifibre TFlash 290: As I alluded to in the 'Power' section of this review, this racquet's lack of stability really showed when I played against big hitting opponents. Although the fact that this racquet is only 3 points headlight helped stability somewhat. Overall, I often felt overpowered because the racquet got pushed around so much. Much of the time this caused my groundstrokes to be terribly inconsistent. My biggest problem came when I was up against big serving opponents who liked to serve out wide. Due to the nice maneuverability I was able to get the racquet on ball, but the stability was so poor the racquet pushed around and balls landed much shorter than they did with the other two racquets.
Comfort:
Babolat Pure Drive Roddick: The extra weight that increased stability with the Pure Drive Roddick also increased the comfort level of this racquet. Although it isn't a "soft as a pillow" comfort like the 03 White offers, it is an upgrade from the past Pure Drive models I've played with. I will say that the stiffness of the Pure Drive Roddick didn't allow for much touch or feel from any part of the court and made slice backhands sit up a little more than usual. But as a testament to the comfort level of this racquet, I played four hours of tennis one night (3 sets of singles and 2 sets of doubles) and my arm never hurt once. Serves and volleys also reminded me how much improved the comfort level of the Roddick version is over past Pure Drive racquets.
Prince 03 White: I own the Prince More Control DB800 as well as the Prince Triple Threat Warrior (the two previous incarnations of this racquet) so I assumed that the comfort level of the 03 White would be similar to these two racquets. The comfort level of the White is much greater than the two racquets mentioned above (the 03 grommets at work I guess). The RDC of 65 also makes the 03 White much more comfortable than the DB800 and TT Warrior over the long haul of a match. The DB800 and Warrior have both caused me arm problems in the past but I felt the 03 White would be different. To test my "easier on the elbow" theory I played with the 03 White for a set and then pulled out my More Control DB800. Within two games my elbow was starting to ache while using the DB800. I quickly switched back to the 03 White, the pain diminished, and after a couple games was completely gone. The plush feel of the 03 White (more plush than any racquet I've tried) is an acquired taste. Some players used to a playerÕs racquet feel might dislike the feel of the O3 White. By the way, I used the soft grommet version of the 03 White for this playtest.
Tecnifibre TFlash 290: The comfort level of the TFlash was the weakest part of the racquet. It's light weight and stiffness seemed to make this racquet very uncomfortable if I didn't find the sweetspot. Stringing it at a lower tension or using a softer string (maybe natural gut) may help ease the harshness of the racquet, but the NXT string and tension it was strung at just didn't mesh well. Stretch volleys where I was barely able to get a racquet on the ball really seemed to be difficult for my arm to take. This racquet also seemed to tire my serving arm (I serve lefty and play righty) more than any other sub-12 ounce racquet ever has.
Spin:
Babolat Pure Drive Roddick: The Pure Drive Roddick was the best of this bunch at creating heavy topspin. This made it a joy to play with when pounding it out from the baseline using heavy groundstrokes. Extreme topspin could be used to keep my opponent deep in the court, create impressive angles, or get that beautiful dipper at my opponent's feet when he was at net. The ability to get incredible spin on the ball with the Pure Drive Roddick was also a big plus when going for those high kicking serves that leave opponents in bewilderment. After the huge bomb up the middle, my favorite serve with this racquet was the kicker out wide on the deuce side. Hit that serve and rush the net - no stopping that attack. Unfortunately, slice wasn't as nice. The ball never really felt like it had enough dwell time on the strings when I was trying to hit my, usually deadly, slice. The ball sat up a bit and never had the pace I'm accustomed to when using my Nano Speed RQ7 or RDX 500 Midplus. Compared to the other two racquets in this playtest the Pure Drive Roddick gave the worst results when trying to use slice as a weapon.
Prince 03 White: While the Pure Drive Roddick created the best topspin of these three racquets, the 03 White offered the nicest combination of topspin and slice. The kick I was getting on my serve was nothing short of a miracle. I don't typically have a huge kicker of a serve but with this racquet I felt like a professional as I watched the ball kick up over my opponents head. As I mentioned before my favorite shot with the 03 White was the crosscourt backhand with a sharp angle. This racquet, with it's maneuverability and amazing topspin, makes this shot so easy it's astonishing. If that wasn't fun enough, I could always use the even easier-to-come by slice and send a backhand down the line, watch it barely go over the net (oh, so low), not come up off the court, and rush in to put the easy volley away. With the heavy spin for my serves, deep biting slice, and comfort level at net, I think I would be hard pressed to find a better serve and volley racquet than this one.
Tecnifibre TFlash 290: The TFlash offered a nice combination of slice and topspin and, other than maneuverability, were my two favorite areas of this racquet. For such a stiff racquet I found the slice to stay relatively low and had some decent bite, especially off the backhand side. This racquet offered better slice potential than the Pure Drive Roddick but was lacking in the topspin department compared to the other two racquets in this playtest. There was good kick on my second serves out wide, but when I got used to seeing balls kick above an opponentÕs head (as is the case with the 03 White) it's a little disappointing. It's a well above average racquet when referring to spin potential, but pales ever so slightly when compared to the 03 White and Pure Drive Roddick.
Final Thoughts:
Babolat Pure Drive Roddick: An excellent leap forward from the original Pure Drive Standard in terms of solid feel and controllable power. It offers a much better combination of power and control than I was expecting before I started the playtest and although it has some weaknesses, the power of this racquet was addictive and something I enjoyed more and more as the playtest went on. It's my favorite racquet of the three and it is a racquet where the racquet as a whole is much greater than the sum of its parts (ie: the various categories listed above).
Prince 03 White: A very good all court racquet that offers easy access to spin (top/slice/kick), is incredible at net, with control that is above average. It plays very similar to a standard length version of my Yonex Nano Speed RQ7 with better mobility and better touch at the net. It is a serve and volleyers dream racquet but as Maria Sharapova proved at the US Open, it's at home on the baseline too. The only real problem I found with this racquet was the lack of mass coming through the hitting zone and for that reason the 03 White finishes in second place behind the Pure Drive Roddick in this playtest. Tecnifibre TFlash 290: A slightly above average racquet that offers excellent control, fantastic maneuverability, and good access to spin. However, the overly stiff feeling caused problems in a few areas of my game (and body) and therefore was my least favorite racquet in this playtest.
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