Rackets411.com

by Allen Van

The Babolat Aero Storm is an upgrade of Babolat’s Pure Storm. It features many of the same specs as its predecessor but benefits from the addition of several technologies.

Most notable is the use of Babolat’s Aeromodular technology, which shapes the throat of the racket like a wing. This wing shape decreases the amount of drag and increases the aerodynamics of the racket on any given swing. The increased aerodynamics allows a faster swing speed, giving players the ability to generate more pace and spin.

The Aero Storm also features Babolat’s Cortex System, which reduces unnecessary vibrations and gives players a truer feel for the ball. The Cortex System connects the handle and frame of the racket with Babolat’s Cortex Damping System (CDS). Vibrations that are harmful to the arm and wrist are filtered out.

Along with Aeromodular technology and the Cortex System, the Aero Storm uses Babolat’s Woofer technology. The Woofer technology creates a pulley effect with the strings on impact, allowing more of the strings to move. This amplifies the trampoline effect that occurs when a ball is struck, also increasing pace and spin.

Groundstrokes

The first thing I noticed with the Aero Storm was its weight. With a strung weight of 11.8 oz, this is a player’s racket geared towards intermediate to advanced players with full, fluid strokes. However, contrary to typical player’s rackets that require the player to generate most of the power, the Aero Storm has a generous amount of pop. I was able to effortlessly hit with depth despite the weight of the racket. This combination of weight and power combines the stability of a heavy racket with the maneuverability of a lighter racket. A downside, however, is that the swing speed needed to generate spin with a heavier racket can cause shots to fly long due to the power that is already inherent in this racket.

The sweetspot on the Aero Storm is even more forgiving than the already forgiving sweetspots that are found on most other 98 sq inch rackets. This is most likely due to the weight of the racket, which is slightly heavier than most other midplus frames. The stability of the Aero Storm can really be felt on slices. The weight of the racket allows you to move through the ball with ease, giving slices sufficient underspin and penetration.

Volleys

Volleys feel solid with the Aero Storm. The weight of the racket helps keep the racket stable and reduces the amount of shock on impact. The relatively big sweetspot is also a huge bonus. I felt that I was still able to sufficiently stick a penetrating volley even with slight mishits. With a balance that is 4 points head-light, the Aero Storm is also maneuverable at net. Although I feel that the Cortex Damping System reduces the feel of the ball too much for my liking on volleys, the stability, sweetspot, and maneuverability of this racket make it worthwhile at net.

Serves

The same features that make the Aero Storm good for groundstrokes and volleys make it good for serves as well. The balance, combined with the Aeromodular technology, allows you to freely swing through your service motion. I feel that the effect of this technology is most noticeable on serves, where most of your swing is edge-first. With a string pattern that isn’t too dense or open, I was able to generate sufficient spin to keep my serves in the box.

Overview

The Aero Storm is a player’s racket geared towards advanced players with full strokes who are able to take advantage of the stability that comes with a heavy racket. However, the generous pop and relatively large sweetspot makes this racket friendly to intermediate players as well. Finally, the spin production is moderate, so this racket should appeal to a wide range of players.

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