So, one of the abilities I possess (no pat on the back needed, please) is after 40 years of playing tennis, owning a tennis shop and being a professional stringer, there’s not too many racquets that I can’t read the specs and not know how it will play. It’s one of those innate abilities you develop after many, many years of being a tennis nut. My racquet profile hasn’t changed in more than 25 years of playing—mid-plus sized head (95-100”), large grip (5/8) and head heavy frame (3-5 pts HL and 11.5 to 12.5 oz)…my strings do tend to change, but not wildly (Babolat Excel or Luxilon Alu Power Rough and sometimes both together). Well today, my tennis game has changed because of the AeroPro Lite GT. And when I say changed, I mean my order has been placed for a new racquet…I’ve left my dear Volkl’s, all 7 of them, and made the switch.

 

 

After two years of playing mostly doubles, for many reasons, one of which is it’s hard to find good singles players to compete with, my old style of play is no longer applicable and therefore my racquets and I must adapt. And adapt they will to the Babolat AeroPro GT Lite in a 3/8” grip…

 

Groundstrokes
I had no issues garnering any spin and power with the AeroPro Lite, in fact, I felt liberated in a way from my heavier stick. I could easily plow through the balls, create more than enough spin and still have my touch and feel that I so dearly lacked with my DNX 9’s. I do wish it was strung with string more to my liking, but it didn’t matter too much…the groundstroke’s, for me, were near flawless. The only negative I can usher in here and it’s more of a positive, is that the racquet is so light. But I would rather have it too light and add weight than too heavy and have to redistribute the weight to make it feel lighter.

 

Return of Serve
My forehand return is blistering at times (another pat on the back), there’s no mercy to the net man and rarely do I miss. The backhand return of serve is lacking, my older stick made it difficult to come through it with any pace or solid contact. The AeroPro changed that and I was able to easily and methodically either slice it or crack a topspin backhand any where I wanted. The lightness and aero dynamic nature made it very easy to come through the ball. Additionally, I was able to take my time and setup for my shots knowing I had more time to react.

 

Volleys
I’m not sure what to say here…the racquet played flawlessly at the net. The touch and control are the best I’ve felt from any racket in a very long time. It produced a solid feel with great control and unpredictable power. Anyone playing doubles will love this racquet and its maneuverability.

 

Serve So after 40 years of playing tennis my serve, at one time, was one of my biggest weapons, and now I’ve come to realize I’m not young anymore so getting the ball in with decent power and placement works well—and I let my net man do the rest…well with the AeroPro Lite I was able to lift my serve back to the levels in my 20’s and 30’s. I had incredible power, great control and placement that I haven’t seen in years. Now I know why Mr. Nadal and Mr. Roddick, and a host of others, use Babolat. I was truly able to whack the ball and take cuts at my serve that I hadn’t done in years. The ball exploded off the racquet. This is a game changing racquet for me and others, no doubt.

 

Overall So the only bad news here is on my part, I need to buy new racquets. I’m head over heels happy with the AeroPro Lite GT that I can’t contain myself. After many years with my beloved Volkl’s and tweaking and customizing the pallets, the weight, the strings and the balance…I’m done. My game has evolved and I’m thrilled to be a Babolat user. A word of caution to those looking at the AeroPro Lite GT…it is a very light racquet, almost too light, but it is very easy to add weight and customize it to your liking. Your local pro shop or master racquet technician can help further. This should be a stick on everyone’s list to demo if they are looking at a new racquet. This racquet would be great for anyone who has moderate to long ground strokes and is looking for easy spin. I would recommend the Aeropro Lite GT for any 3.5 NRTP rated player or higher.