Babolat Pure Drive vs Head Radical MP

In this article, I will look at the racket specs of the Head Radical MP (or “MP”) and Babolat Pure Drive (or PD”) to see how these two rackets compare to each other.

Babolat Pure Drive vs Head Radical MP

General Info

Below is some general information on these rackets including their brand, version, composition, and colors.

General infoPDMP
Brand:BabolatHead
Version:20212021
Composition:GraphiteGraphene 360+/Graphite
Color(s):BlueOrange and Silver

Racket Specs

Below is a comparison of the technical specifications of the Pure Drive and Radical MP tennis rackets.

Main Differences: The Radical MP has a smaller head size (98in vs 100in), a slightly higher swing weight (321 vs 320), a much lower stiffness rating (65 vs 71), and a thinner beam width (20mm / 23mm / 21mm vs 23mm / 26mm / 23mm)

Similarities: Both rackets have the same racket length (27in), strung weight (318g), head light balance (4pts HL), and unstrung weight (300g).

Racket Specs:PDMP% Difference
Head Size (sq cm)6456322.02%
Head Size (sq in)100982.00%
Length (cm)68.5868.580.00%
Length (in)27270.00%
String Pattern16 x 1916 x 19
HL or HH1HLHL
Strung Balance (cm)33.0233.020.00%
Strung Balance (pts)440.00%
Strung Weight (grams)3183180.00%
Strung Weight (ounces)11.211.20.00%
Swing Weight3203210.31%
Unstrung Weight (grams)3003000.00%
Unstrung Weight (ounces)10.5810.580.00%
Frame Stiffness71658.45%
Beam Width (mm)23 / 26 / 2320 / 23 / 219-13%

1 Head Light or Head Heavy

Pros and Cons

Below are what I think are the main pros and cons of these two tennis rackets.

Racket:PDMP
Pros:Good mix of power, control, and spin, a generous sweet spot, and easy power on servesNice blend of power, spin, and control with a manageable weight
Cons:Relatively high stiffness ratingMore advanced players may feel it lacks control

Head to Head

Below are my recommendations in terms of which racket is better in terms of Power, Control, Spin, and Arm Friendliness.

H2HPDMP
PowerWinner Grey
ControlWinner
SpinWinner Grey
Arm FriendlinessWinner

Player Recommendations

Below are our recommendations for recreational players at the beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels.

Player LevelPDMP
BeginnerNoNo
IntermediateYesYes
AdvancedYesYes

Pro Player Endorsements

The Radical MP is currently endorsed by Taylor Fritz and Diego Schwartzman, while the Pure Drive is endorsed by Garbine Muguruza, Karolina Pliskova, Fabio Fognini, and Sofia Kenin.

Where can you buy these rackets?

The rackets are for sale in most good online tennis shops and on the Babolat and Head websites.