Our playtesters found classic power on their groundstrokes with the Babolat Pure Drive 98, but with a little more control than the standard Pure Drive. For Tiffani, hitting a Pure Drive is like coming home. She said, "I've used a form of the Pure Drive off and on since the early 2000s. This Pure Drive 98 offers a bit more control than the regular 100-square-inch version and Plus models I'm used to, but it still packs the punch you would expect from this racquet line. It really didn’t take any time to get used to. The head size is slightly smaller, and it weighs just a bit more (300 grams for the standard Pure Drive versus 305 grams unstrung for the 98), but it really is easy to pick up and use. This racquet complemented my flatter strokes, but it was still easy enough to add topspin when needed. I think the only downside I had was that it felt firmer to me than the regular Pure Drive, even though the spec numbers say otherwise. Perhaps it’s due to the slightly smaller head size? This is just a preference for a softer response, though, since I didn't experience arm pain during this playtest."

The Pure Drive line of racquets has always been one of Michelle's guilty pleasures. She said, "No matter the make or model, I always love hitting with Pure Drives, so I was excited to get the Pure Drive 98 playtest going! While I tend to enjoy heavier racquets, these are racquets I can always find joy hitting with, and I instantly loved blasting balls from the baseline with this Pure Drive 98. The thinner beam and slightly smaller head size were noticeable, but they never felt that different from the standard 100-square-inch racquet. I was craving a bit of a different string pattern so I could have something more to distinguish this 98-square-inch racquet from the 100. The racquet swung quickly, felt stable for its weight and was forgiving, as expected. I spent a lot of time with this racquet through the playtest, and I really enjoyed coaching with it because it made it easy for me to adapt to hitting with any level of player. I could also drill with it, and I found the power I crave when I hit all out. This was a fun playtest, and it makes me want to toy around with some customization to bring that swingweight up!"

"One of the first things I noticed when hitting from the baseline was the fast and whippy feel," said Troy. "Compared to the racquets I typically play with, this Babolat Pure Drive 98 felt light and fast, which made it very easy to generate a lot of racquet speed. With that said, I did appreciate the slightly more solid feel and a bit more control coming from this Pure Drive 98 compared to the standard 300-gram Pure Drive. Another thing that stood out to me was the firm, crisp feel on contact. Most of the time, I was swinging freely and enjoying the easy power on my groundstrokes, but I did notice a firm, jarring feel against big hitters, specifically if I missed the sweetspot slightly. You could make the argument that all racquets have more vibration or a more jarring feel if you hit off-center or shank the ball, but I know what the average racquet feels like in those circumstances, and it was more significant with this Pure Drive 98 than the racquets I tend to play with. If you are a Pure Drive user, I think you already know what I am referring to. Aside from that, I would like to try tinkering with some added weight to see if that helps with plow through and provides a smoother feel on contact."

Brittany could not contain her excitement for this playtest. She said, "I was beyond pumped when this racquet landed on my desk. The previous generation (known as the Pure Drive VS) was a racquet I really enjoyed hitting with, and I even debated switching to it for a while. Not to mention the standard Pure Drive has been in my top three racquets of all time for the last 20 years. Now that I have said all that, I was able to easily adjust to this racquet and felt very comfortable playing points after only a 10- to 15-minute warm-up. In fact, I preferred to play points versus rallying because the racquet was just so fun to play with. My shots were landing deep in the court, and I had no issues generating racquet head speed."

The user-friendly Pure Drive 98 allowed our playtesters to finish points at net with ease. Michelle found a great feel from the Pure Drive 98 when she stepped forward. She described, "It was easy to volley with this racquet. The sweetspot was forgiving, and it moved into position with ease. I had no issues with stability and found it fun to craft droppers, swing big or just punch balls deep into the court. No complaints!"

"The Pure Drive's power let me approach the net with confidence because I was typically getting a weak ball to put away," added Brittany. "I used that put-away power to end points by punching volleys deep in the court. As expected, the feel was on the firmer side, and the Pure Drive 98 was a little less forgiving than the standard model when I was reaching for a ball or hit off center."

Tiffani found a nice balance of maneuverability and stability at the net. She said, "This racquet feels solid at net. I place a premium on maneuverability, and this Pure Drive 98 felt easy to get into position. It also had a stable response, so I felt in command of where my volleys were landing. I found it performed best when I kept it simple and blocked balls back deep into the court."

Troy had similar thoughts to the other playtesters. He said, "This Pure Drive 98 was pretty easy to use when hitting my volleys. I liked the combination of easy power (sort of the hot-rod Pure Drive type of feel) with a more dialed-in feel from the 98-square-inch head size (compared to the standard Pure Drive). I loved the easy power on put-away shots. I could end points with authority because there was easy energy return from the stiff frame and fast racquet speed. I wouldn't say that touch and feel at the net were this racquet's strong suit, but it wasn't bad. I found better precision and more feel for the ball compared to the Pure Drive."

The serve was easily the favorite stroke for our playtest team to hit with the Babolat Pure Drive 98. Brittany usually prefers to return serves rather than hit them, but there are a few racquets that she would rather serve with, the standard Pure Drive being at the top of that list. She continued, “There are even fewer racquets where I can't decide which shot I like better, and the Pure Drive 98 is one of them. While not as powerful as the standard Pure Drive, I was still able to tap into the power potential and generate some first serves with pace. On top of that, I was gaining a little extra precision, so I could experiment with different targets. I also had the confidence to go after my second serves thanks to the spin and maneuverability."

"Easy pop, easy spin and loads of racquet head speed pretty much sum up the Pure Drive 98 on my serve," said Troy. "This Pure Drive 98 was easy to serve with, and the 98 head size made me feel rather precise when aiming at my targets (kind of like my Yonex EZONE 98+, but faster). With the whippy nature of this racquet, I found it exciting to go after my spin and kick serves because I could really crank up the RPMs! The only change I might consider with this Pure Drive 98 on serves is adding some weight to help plow into the ball. I would also love to try an extended version of this racquet; in concept it would be very similar to my Yonex EZONE 98+."

Michelle is no stranger to smacking serves with plenty of pace. She said, "I felt like I could hit big, flat first serves, and I found all the spin and slice I wanted when needed. Kick serves were fun to hit, and I was able to manipulate the racquet to work for me. I could even kick to a lefty's backhand, which is the opposite of how I normally aim with my kickers."

The Pure Drive 98 met Tiffani's expectations on serves. She said, "I went into this review thinking any Pure Drive is a good serving racquet, and my opinion hasn't changed. There's not a huge drop-off in power compared to the regular Pure Drive, and I liked the way this racquet moved over my head. I didn't notice the slightly heavier weight at all, maybe because my own racquet is the same weight. As expected, I noticed a bit of added pace on my serves off my typical swing."

With some small adjustments, our playtesters were able to start off on the offensive with the Pure Drive 98 on return of serves. The easy maneuverability and power stood out as key features for Troy when it came to hitting returns. He said, "The Pure Drive 98 has that raw Pure Drive power, but with the side benefit of 98-square-inch head size precision. I had fun being aggressive. I almost got carried away at times, getting a little slap-happy with big forehand returns; sometimes it was magic, and a few times it hit the back fence on the fly (oops!). On my backhand, I was more compact and let the racquet power do the work; in my mind I was trying to emulate a smooth stroke like Fabio Fognini (Pure Drive player). For my backhand slice or chip return, I felt like the Pure Drive 98 could have used a bit more mass and plow through, and I was left wanting a smoother feel on contact."

"I don't have many complaints in this department," added Tiffani. "Usually, I heavily favor my returns to serves, but it was more even with this Pure Drive 98. I felt comfortable on both my serve and return games. This racquet does feel stable to me and offers easy depth. It can be tempting to go for too much, though. My only issue was the firm feel when I mis-hit the ball."

Brittany felt like she got the best of both worlds on returns. She said, "I got easy power and depth, but at the same time felt in control of my shots. Now don't get me wrong, it was easy at times to overhit, but for the most part I felt dialed in and in control. This allowed me to really step in and take the offensive from the very first shot."

The return was one area where Michelle felt like there was room for improvement. She explained, "If I am being picky, this is where I needed a bit more mass and control. The racquet swings quicker than what I normally hit with, and it came around fast (too fast sometimes). I could hit angles with ease, but I struggled a bit more when really leaning into my returns. Blocking balls back was just fine as well. Tighter strings would be the easy first fix here for me, and then some customizing with some weight."