I know what some of you will say so I’ll say it for you: “Nick, why don’t you play with Walmart Wilson since you like it so much?” kzfaq.info/get/bejne/nMucda6dtdillGw.htmlsi=s_UBex5o2Grdm9PB I did like that racquet, but the metal started to bend after 15 minutes 😂 “Nick scrape the paint off your Bab💅💅💅💅 P👙👙👙👙 D👠👠👠👠+, and it will be lighter. Here is the thing: I’ve had those racquets since 2017 (I don’t like the new model), and they are starting to wear off. I can’t play with the regular shorter model or the 2014 + version (I used that one prior and have a ton of those). So, I’m ready to move on. I’m not mad at Ba. Best racquets I’ve ever played with. Love that my favorite player uses their racquets. Love the design and the optics of their racquets. But you know what: I’m a man of principle. I've provided free advertising for so long that I just wanted some acknowledgment. It’s not like they don’t work with other social media tennis people with a far less engaged audience. There are so many, especially on Instagram, who have official relationships with B. So, part of me is (a little) annoyed at being ignored for no reason, but another (bigger) part of me enjoyed playing with a white mystery racquet. Don’t take this whole thing too seriously. Like my dad said circa 2015 when I was switching from the Wilson HH and I asked him for advice on which racquets to consider: “Nick who cares what you racquet you play with. Are you going on tour or something?” He was 100% right, but you know what: While it doesn’t matter since I don’t compete anymore, I still hold a tennis racquet every day and want it to feel good in my hand and play well with it. I get very mental when the racquet is missing shots that it’s not supposed to 😂 So, the racquet switch is serious (for me). Drop suggestions below!! ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

“Think of me more as an unatheltic woman” please 😭😭😭

old men switch to the Yonex Ezone

Played with a pure drive for over 10 years and recently switched to an ezone 98 and it feels great. Give it a try

Diadem Novas play very close to pure drive in my opinion. Ezones are always solid choices for forgiveness and easy power

Diadem I bet will sponsor you in a heartbeat. And their Nova 100 will probably be a very easy transition from your Pure Drive. It's a Pure drive killer.

I’m an unathletic player who was playing with the Babolat pure drive. I play tested a few alternative racquets and the ezone 98 (2022/2024 same model) has been a winner for me.

I know a car painter who paints the helmets for the swiss air force. He painted all three of my Prince Phantoms 2 grams under the specs and all three within 0.5 grams. This guy is amazing.

For all your videos, I’m here to learn about tennis. This one was entertaining! The professional paint job made your racquet so heavy to use, haha, good one.

Blade 104, extended length. Great feel, good pop/stability without being too heavy.

Similar racquets of pure drive and around 300 grams: Dunlop FX500 Yonex EZONE 100 Solinco Blackout Wilson Ultra Wilson Shift Head Speed MP 2024 Head Extreme MP 2024 My racquet of choice is the Head Speed MP, 300 grams unstrung, very comfortable, good power, spin, the best all around racquet on the market.

Hi Nick. You should try both Dunlop Cx400 tour and Fx 500. Both will give you enough pop and stability without being cumbersome to swing

In a shocking reveal, Nick's been using the Snauwert Ergonom this whole time.

I personally love the gravity pro, you should give it a shot! Only problem is I like way more the 2021 (discontinued) but the 2023 is not bad either (I don’t like the feeling/less vibrations). Anyways good luck finding the racquet!!

- Prince O3 Legacy 120 - Dunlop FX500 - Wilson Blade 104 V9

Your daughter did a fantastic job with the paint job 👍

I have fallen in love with Yonex recently, the only brand for which I can play any of their models. I'd say try the Ezone 98 and 100, the Ezones are power rackets that are very versatile and have great feel. The 98 has a big sweet spot which makes it great for sudden touch shots. The Vcore has smaller sweet spot and although a great spin and power racket it is way tougher if you change the contact suddenly, you need more accurate and long preparation for every shot. I agree with someone in the comments who said the Wilson Ultra 100 may be the closest to your Pure Drive, this is the one Roddick picked but also because Wilson was the brand that reached out to him. Agassi I think picked the Percept 100, Murray the Ezone 100, also try the Ezone 98 it feels truly great and versatile.

Based on you liking the Babolat Pure Drive, I think the Yonex Ezone 100 will be very similar, and maybe better due to their quality control

The comment about its stiffness and the blue color, and the fact that I follow you for a long time, gave it away Some of my friends that use to play with that particular model have switched to Yonex Ezone 98 and absolutely love it. The 100 should be even more powerful.

Tecnifibre T-Fight 305… the 18 x 19 string pattern makes the difference 😊🎾

Probably every brand has something you could play with. Whatever you choose i hope it will come with good deal, you deserve it 🤙

VCore 100 has fit the bill for my older body. Easy power and forgiving.

I have no idea what I just heard in this video.... But I fucking love it

Love how you solve the problem. No more free publicity for 😊❤ I love all of your advice, both playing the sport and the equipment you use!

Try WIlson Clash V2 98. Its a bit heavier at 310 grams, but its really soft on the arm. It has nice amount of power, strings are 16x20 so its a cool blend of precision and spin (but doesnt excel in either one). Headsize is obviously a bit smaller, but you dont feel it, it does have a nice sweet spot. Pozdrav iz Hrvatske

Yonex Ezone 98, Head Radical MP, Head Extreme MP, Wilson Blade V9 100. I think those would suite your style of play. Get your favourite specs (weight, sw, balance) and an customised handle and you are ready to go. It took me some time to find mine but now I found my perfect setup

Prince Tour 100 - I'm crazy about Prince rackets, especially the Tour, and here in Japan they have their own unique (white) paint jobs. The Tour is available in sizes 95,98 0r 100, different weights, 290-310, and either 16x18 or 16x19.

Hey Nick, love your videos! Based on advice in your videos, I am currently playing with the previous model Head Boom Team L 2022. I add tungsten inside the grip and at 12 o'clock to bring the strung weight up to 300 g. It's a light extended length 107 sq inch frame and I got them new for $99 when the 2024 model came out. Love them and they even print my initial on the side for me :) I did try both the new Bab PD+ and PA+ and I much preferred the Aero but I rely on spin in my game. If you want to move on from Babolat try the Kennex Ki Q+15 Pro--it's a 105 sq. inch, 27.5 length, 72 stiffness stick in a nice blue you might like. If you don't mind the adjustment to the Yonex head shape then their extended length VCore and Ezone 100s play very similarly to your previous stick. Eager to see what you end up with! :)

Hey Nick, based on your advise, I used to also play the PD with the Kirschbaum sso string in the 300g version. This setup worked really well. This year I was in the mood to test something new and ordered the new Tecnibre TF-X1 (v2) which has very similar specs to the PD. I played it with a Tecnifibre string until now, and will test it with the kirschbaum sso later this week. Not sure if it was on the list already, but maybe it helps finding a new one. Good luck either way and thanks for your great videos. Cheers from Germany, Andreas.

Thanks for the content Nik.If I were to guess sounds like you were playing with a Pre Drive. So in terms of an alternative 300g, 100sq inch, thick beam, easy power, etc frame perhaps the Blackout 100 could be worth giving a crack. Btw I’m a Babolat fan, playing with a Gen3 PS 98 16x19. For me an awesome stick. Good luck with hunt.👍🏻

100% agree with the video. And that’s pretty much what I suspected it all along. The same thing happened to me I was using an old Wilson K Factor, and it worked extremely well for me, and a bunch of my friends were playing at Wilson blade 98 so I felt pressured to play with it, and so I got one and I wasn’t playing very well at all and I actually felt some harm pain.

Just in case you still want to paint it, the Light and Team versions of those frames could work: Yonex 100 (100L if painting), Speed MP (works for everybody - MP-L and Team are decent alternatives which Jonas also likes) and the Pure Drive Light (270g → 300g if you paint it, but I'm unsure of how the layup compares to your old one). The stock Speed MP has a huge advantage in that the ND edition is blacked out, so it's kinda "pre-generic painted"

I'm sure that Jonas with all his knowledge will manage to help you find a racquet that you like! But a racquet that works very well with Kirschbaum super smash orange is Tecnifibre Tempo 298 Iga not only that, it has an amazing glossy white paintwork!

Hey Nick i tested a LOT of frames when i start playing tennis again in my 40s your fav raquet is the babolat pure drive with the Cortex dampening, it plays very clear with a lot of conection to the stringbed...Solinco Blackout would be my choice...maybe it works i also got an old prince textreme 100 near

Solinco Blackout (maybe XTD) seems to be a good match for your game style. Of course, many of these frames are available in the market, but I like how Blackout looks like pure drive but with a bit more spin. XTD is less maneuverable, with a higher swing weight but at your level that won't impact.

For ME the racket I have discovered and play very well with is the Dunlop CX200 OS 2024 version. I wasn't expecting to like it but fell in love with it. So I'm very happy I tried it and have been using it since it's release in January 2024.

I think your old racquet is a pure drive, if that’s the case i would suggest to try Yonex ezone 100, dunlop fx 500, Wilson ultra 100, solinco blackout 100, diadem nova v3, maybe an extreme mp/vcore 100 for more spin, boom mp if you want something a little bit easier, ypf 100 custom if you want something you can fully customize (weight, balance, lenght, grip size, ra)

A Head Extreme MP would be a good option. It plays like your pure drive but a little softer, somewhere in between a stock PD and Aero. I would give that a go

I recommend the Prince Textreme ATS Tour 100 (290g version)

I have a percept 97 and 100. The 100 is really comfortable and has a bit more pop and sweet spot. Should be good for your lessons.

Nick try the Yomex Ezone 100, i think you might like it, its 300 grams stock, fairly stiff, large sweet spot. Also try the Yonex Percept 300D, more controllable due to the tighter string pattern

Can never go wrong with the Ezone 100

Big fan of the new Blade 98 V9 18x20 (got alu power 125 @ 52lb tension when strung) . Excellent control without a big sacrifice to spin/power (good for coaching I would imagine). Also the stabilization tech completely solved some elbow pain I got after not playing for ~20 years (was using my old nCode Ntour beore this). Night and day improvement from my old racket.

A couple of others you might consider: You mentioned once you liked the original POG, so the new Prince Phantom 107 or 100s might be worth a try. Second, you indicate you might need to go down in weight, so the Head Gravity Team at 10.6 oz strung might be worth a tryout.

Head Gravity Tour Auxetic. Goes well with your control oriented philosophy and style. Weight and size are ideal for many type of game styles. 305g and 100in. Feel on impact is very classic and rewarding.

Try out a Prince racquet with O-ports. Probably the Ripstick, with the weight version you prefer. Its done wonders for arm comfort and would be especially good if your hitting balls all day. Secondly the free spin, power and ectra sweet spot you get are really noticeable. Definitely woeth checking out

i love you nick, switch to a yonex so i can use the same brand as my favourite player😃

Have you tried stripping the original racket paint and use powder coating to retain the weight of your racket?

This racket change dilemma deserves a whole video series that lasts until November

ezone, Wilson Ultra, Dunlop Fx, Solinco Blackout 300, Technifibre TF-X1

Nick , if you don’t mind teaching with a 98 , do You a favor and try Tecnifibre T-Fight 300 . Great stick . Foam injected , very good power , easy on the arm , great feel 👌

Wilson Shift, Solinco Blackout 285, or Tecnifibre TF-X1 285

You may like the Wilson shift or ultra in the 99 or 100, if you’re not opposed to changing head size try the blade 104 I know a pro at my club that loves that racquet loves that racquet. A lot of players at my club love the yonex lines as well. Specifically the ezone 98 or the vcore 100. Good luck!

Keep the white colour and check out trhe TFight Iso 305. This TFight is more along the lines of a Pure Strike 18x20; it’s got good control from the 98 headsize and 18 mains but it’s got a thicker beam & higher stiffness so this one has a lot of power.

Yonex Percept 100, even though you've already said no. I'm a 43 year old rec player who recently switched to it and it's been great. 300g slight head light balance with a comfortable feel. If you want a racket that more matches your current 2015 Babolat Pure Drive 😉 maybe the new Babolat Pure Aero Team?

Solinco Blackout 300 xtd (you used the PD+, right?) which is in essence a really nice variant of Pure Drive, just not made by Babolat.

What about the lesser-known Solinco Blackout. I've heard it's like a softer, more comfortable Pure Drive. Lots of power.

Pure Drive Team + paint job to white + lead tape for swing weight adjust

I have been enjoying my Head Boom Pro, more power and spin then my old Pro Tour 280!

For mostly white, Tecnifibre X-1 or TFight 295. If you play Prince before, Warrior would be good choice and the price is decent. Maybe you could try ProKennex Kinetic Pro 7G

A lot of people are recommending the Ezone 100 extended, and it certainly lines up specs wise, but based off your stated preferences, I doubt you're going to like the muted dampened feel of it. Perhaps once they replace VDM with servofilter it might feel better to you

I think you'd enjoy the Dunlop CX400 LS or the Dunlop CX200 LS if you're more into the player's frame type of racquet with thinner beam.

Based on your final comment in the video, you should consider the Wilson Steam 100 (pro stock). Still very popular on the WTA tour and not too far off from your old BPD!

Blade v8. Or maybe v9 since you prefer more stiff. Wilson will paint it any colors you want for a few bucks more without changing the specs.

As others said, Ezone is the BaPB version of yonex, so you should probably test some of its versions. I personally prefer the whippier VCore. You cold also try the Head Boom and Extreme

I switched from the Pure Drive to the Blade to the Clash Pro. Clash Pro plays similar to the Pure Drive, but softer. I like it. Curious to try the Shift as well.

The Wilson blade v6 is what I switched to after playing with the Wilson profile 95 for decades!

Please get Prince! The new tour series looks so good and is mostly white as well ) my fav was tour pro 98 (yellow-black without o3, 18by20), so damn fast and swingy, with a lot of pop but unfortunately slipped out of my hand while serving and got broken ((( now I'm with prince textreme tour 100 (310 gr, 16by19 with 03), but it's little too stiff for me so I'm still getting used to it, strung it with hyper g at 25 kilos - looks sick! don't like o3 for some reason too, but it was good for the money so we'll see, but anyways, so far so good with this prince situation, highly underrated racquets, and Big John has quit so they might need some support! cheers!

Latest Vcore 95 strung wayyy down with Hyper G or similar. Wilson Clash 98. Latest Bbabolat Strike 18 20 strung up Dunlop FX series

Yonex Ezone 100 would be a great replacement for your “it that must not be named” racquet. You could even go Casper Ruud and the plus version.

What about a Wilson Clash v2 98 or 100. Easy on the arm, pretty good pop. Also, very relatable for your audience considering it’s a strong seller and probably one that would work better for most people because than what they actually choose because most people either overestimate their skill level or want to play with a player’s frame that their favorite tour players use. Would make a good point that you should play with a frame that you can handle and helps your game rather than just something that works for someone else or just looks cool.

The head gravity is pretty nice

Ezone 98 and little bit customisation as per your needs should work wonders. I have to admit, I bought Pure Drive (my first racquet) after seeing your videos, but it gave me bad tennis elbow, because I didn't listen to your advice of stringing at low tension 😂

my suggestions are blade 100/104, boom mp, gravity mp, fx500, TF-X1

I think it would be worth trying the Wilson Shift 99 (300g). It has good power, control, feel, and great spin. The racquet has a high stiffness on paper but don't let this fool you, they have added torsional flexibility that makes the racquet feels quite comfortable while adding lots of spin potential. I would say a great all-rounder.

I used to use the same exact Pure Drive 2018. My game uses a lot of spin so tried the pure aero 98 but it gave me some weird shoulder problems. I also tried the Yonex ezone 98 and 100. I liked them but felt they were a bit flimsy without customization. I eventually switched to the Wilson Shift 300 16x20. The spin and pop I was looking for on my serve was there and just changed to a leather grip and added 2g of lead to the 3/9 and it feels amazing. Haven’t had any wrist, shoulder or elbow issues with this racket going on 8 months now. Strung it with Toroline Wasabi Pro at 48lbs

Ghosted? Do they know who you are? The GOAT KZfaq coach!! My wife plays with a TF X1. You can't get any more girly than that racket. Plays great.

hey Nick! I would suggest the Head Speed MP. My dad was able to learn tennis at the age 66 with my Speed MP. It's easy to swing, has power, a bit of control. But if you want to use something that's better for flat hitters, I would say the Head Radical MP. That's my current racket 😉

My friend just got an Ezone 100 L…. He loves it… very light but good for seniors.

Solinco Blackout XTD, Ezone or Vcore 100+, Pro Kennex Black Ace 105 or Ki Q5 5x All extended and powerful

wilson Ultra or blade 100?

Any Pure Drive „copy“ would work. You can try Yonex Ezone (more muted, less stable), Wilson Ultra, Head Instinct, Tecnifibre TFX1, Dunlop FX500, Solinco Blackout, Stiga Supreme… they all are very similar. But the goat power racket will always be the pure drive

Does this not decrease the value of knowing which racquet he uses.? From now on, if he uses an identifiable racquet, people will assume it’s from a company that provided him compensation. Just wondering.🤔

Ezone 98 with circa 1.6 grams lead on 2 and 10 o'clock (feels like bigger sweetspot) and no dampener (the racquet is already dampened). This setup creates magic for me and the aqua night black version is beautiful.

Try the Dunlop CX 200 OS, Nick. 105 but don't let the size fool you. Thin beam, stable with good power, control and feel. And it looks good. I have the previous model. I have played with every racquet you can imagine starting from the 1970s, including a Yamaha fiberglass from the late 70s. My favorite racquet was the Wilson kfactor 90 for the feel. But it became too heavy and low powered as I got into my 60s.

Head Boom Pro with denser string pattern compared to Boom Mp

Hi Nick I was playing twelve years with Babolat Aero and Pure Strike after getting second time terrible tennis elbow made decision to walk away from Babolat After two years and bunch of test with lots of racquets understand I’m doing wrong ( I need look for new racquet not by name but by the numbers: weight , balance, swing weight, stiffness , strings pattern… Now my racquet of choice become Head Gravity 👌

You need Head light 305 gms weight 60 stiffness poly string with 52 lbs thick beam So you can pick any from that configuration ,

Don't sleep on Diadem - the Nova V3 and some others as well in the lineup. Plus amazing string lineup.

I would suggest Vcore line of racquets, I came from using the pure drive line and to me they feel very similar

It's not that close to yours, but I've been playing with the Technifibre T fight and it's been working out really well, even on my 1 handed BH. Maybe you'll like it too.

if you really love these rackets then you can simply sand off the paint. but if you want a new racket i would suggest ezone 100

You should try the Head Boom (mp or pro)

A Yonex Ezone should do the job, as it is a direct competitor to the racquet you are used to. I can relay. I've switch from Bab pro Drive to Yonex Ezone and never looked back. Even tho i 've give every major brand a fair shot. Witch model you prefer in the Ezone line is up to you. The only thing that could stand in your way of making this switch is that the ezone has a more muted feel. But aside that, they are in the same ball park

Tecnifibre TFight 315 ISO. Hands down the best stick I’ve played with. Made the switch from a Pure Drive after 4 years. Not looking back. The TFight 315 is just a brilliant, brilliant stick.

this video is informative and mirrors my own raquet journey. Its also hilarious " unathletic woman"!

I went from PD to Whiteout Xtd 18x20. Very happy and yes, I know it doesn’t make sense.

Wilson Shift 315 gram, Wilson Clash 310 gram (but need 8-10 grams in head) or Prince ATS 100 310 gram.

Head prestige is good. I switched from Pure Drive, and sure, sometimes when playing on clay I can get exhausted and have a hard time getting length or hit the center of the racket. I sometimes switch back to Pure Drive when hitting against the wind :-). But I use low string tension, and some weight on the top of the racket to get more pop. Anyway, some youtube tennis guy said rackets doesn't matter, you can play with anything.

Pro kennex 5g and 7g. Most underrated rackets of all time. Still made with original mold and specs because those of us that use them know what's up.