“Either I win, or I learn”: Eric Babolat marks a major milestone

NEW YORK—It’s not easy to be a disruptor, especially in a sport as tied to its traditions as tennis. But 30 years ago, that’s exactly what Babolat did. That’s when the French brand, long known for its VS natural gut string, got into the racquet space by releasing the Pure Drive. The rest was game-changing history.

At the time, “players” frames followed a similar formula. They mostly sported small heads, thin, flexible constant beams and were on the heavy side. Their primary directive was control, with power mainly user-generated.

The Pure Drive possessed different DNA. It featured a larger face (100 sq. in.), less weight (only 10.4 oz./300g), and a thick, rigid, variable beam with an elliptical cross section. It added up to heavy hitting, but still managed enough stability and control to compete at the upper echelon of the game. Grand Slam champs such as Carlos Moya, Andy Roddick and Kim Clijsters followed, giving the frame credibility.

But perhaps what made the Pure Drive so unique was it was ability agnostic. Advanced players could harness its power, while developing players took advantage of its forgiving sweet spot. The racquet may not have invented the ‘tweener category, but it arguably came to define it.

“The frame helps that if you don’t really center the ball it still stays in the court and the game is more fun,” says Eric Babolat. “People who are less skilled can have access to hitting hard and having tough rallies. I think it’s true at every level.”

Babolat is the fifth-generation CEO of the family-run equipment manufacturer. His great-grandfather started making tennis strings in 1875. Some quick math reveals next year will be the company’s 150^th anniversary in the sport. That’s longer than they’ve been crowning winners at Wimbledon.

It was Eric’s father, Pierre, that introduced racquets into their lineup. When he tragically died in a plane crash in 1998, Eric was thrust into his current leadership role at just 28. He has injected the company with his infectious enthusiasm and passion for the game ever since.

One of his early endeavors was the Pure Aero. Now in its eighth generation, the racquet made famous by Rafael Nadal is a perennial best-seller. But the first edition, released in 2002, didn’t fare quite that well. Where the Pure Drive was designed to maximize power, the idea behind the Pure Aero—originally called the Aeropro Drive—was to make a racquet that produced prodigious spin. To do so, the racquet was flattened out to take advantage of the more vertical swing path employed by modern players. Except it was too flat.

“It was good in aerodynamics, but not good in power,” says Babolat. “The team likes to forget the first one. But it led to the second generation—the one Nadal endorsed—which was a success. So we should be proud of it and not forget it. We tried something a bit too far away, but it was the start of the idea. Either I win, or I learn.”

That idea has evolved into the brand’s most noticeable racquet on tour. Not least of which is because a newer model in the line—the Pure Aero 98—is wielded by the sport’s next Spanish superstar, Carlos Alcaraz. It’s a more restrained version of the frame Rafa endorsed, but still delivers that trademark Aero spin. Alcaraz’s highlight reel playing style, on-court charisma and slew of Grand Slam titles also helps the frame’s popularity among his peers and the tennis community at large.

“Year after year players are more powerful and skilled and they get the power with their body but they need to control that,” Babolat says of the Aero 98’s appeal. “They love the product that is bringing this combination of power and control which is not easy to find. And then of course, when one of them is winning with it, the others wants to look like him.”

Babolat has been part of numerous successful innovations for the company. RPM polyester string was launched to accentuate the topspin produced by frames like the Aero. The Pure Strike became its third performance racquet franchise, the most control-oriented of the trio. They branched out into footwear, apparel and balls becoming a head-to-toe gear provider. Even misses like Babolat Play introduced the concept of a connected racquet that recorded and relayed stats of the user. Yet when asked which is his favorite piece of equipment from the past 30 years, he still goes back to the brand’s roots.

“I think the VS gut must be it,” he says of the string that started it all. “It’s still performing after 150 years, which is quite surprising.”

The company uses the mantra that strings account for 50 percent of the performance equation. Babolat points to RPM and similar strings that deliver a combination of controllable power and heavy spin as having the biggest equipment impact in the game over the past three decades. Yet VS remains integral to the company’s identity. In fact, it’s actually the official name. Years ago, when all the pro players had “VS” stenciled on their racquets, people assumed it was its own brand. To eliminate any confusion and raise Babolat’s profile, they changed the company name to Babolat VS.

“I still think it’s the best string in the world to play with, either in a full gut or a hybrid,” he says. “It’s like leather shoes. Leather has a property that artificial material cannot bring. Doesn’t mean that everything about it is good, but this specific thing, this natural elasticity makes the product special.”

As the brand enters its 150^th year, Babolat keeps his wheels turning. When asked what he would change if he could start the racquet industry from scratch, he mentions the handle. He’d want to find a way to make the grip more universal so there wouldn’t be the need for so many grip changes for different strokes. He thinks that could quicken the sport’s sometimes lengthy learning curve and create a deeper and happier player pool. That’s always been his goal, and will be for the next decade and beyond—produce equipment that makes tennis more enjoyable and user-friendly for its players.

“That’s all we do, all what we love at Babolat,” he says. “We have plenty of ideas to make it more enjoyable, more accessible for tennis lovers. Because we love it, too.”