Best String for the Babolat Pure Aero 2026

The string we recommend for the Babolat Pure Aero is a hybrid: reString Zero in the mains and reString Sync in the crosses.

The Pure Aero is the most recognisable spin racket in tennis. It is the frame that carried Rafael Nadal through most of his career, and it is still the first racket most players think of when they want to hit a heavier ball.

It is very good at what it does. The aerodynamic beam moves fast through the air, the pattern lets the strings snap back freely, and the ball comes off with shape almost regardless of how cleanly you struck it.

The question with an Aero is never how to add spin. It is how to keep all that spin and pace under control without killing the feel. A hybrid answers both. The shaped Zero mains protect the spin the racket is built around, and the round Sync crosses bring back control, comfort and pocketing.

This article explains what the Babolat Pure Aero is, why this hybrid works, what tension to string it at, and how the setup changes between the Pure Aero 100 and the Pure Aero 98.

What Kind of Racket Is the Babolat Pure Aero?

A spin racket, and the benchmark one. The Aero is the frame Babolat builds for players who want to take over points with heavy topspin from the baseline.

It was introduced as the AeroPro Drive in 2004, and it changed the way a generation played tennis. Nadal took it to almost every one of his Grand Slam titles, and the heavy topspin forehand that came with it became the template for the modern game.

The standard Pure Aero 100 is 100 square inches, a 16x19 string pattern, and 300 grams unstrung. The defining feature is the beam. Babolat shapes it aerodynamically so the frame meets less resistance on the way up to the ball, which lets you swing faster for the same effort.

Faster racket head speed is the single biggest contributor to spin, so the frame is essentially engineered around one variable. The grommets play a part too. Babolat widens the spacing so the mains can slide further under load and snap back harder, which adds rotation on top of what your swing already produces.

What you get is a heavy, high-bouncing, difficult ball. What you also get is a racket that punishes a loose or lifeless string setup, because everything it produces gets amplified.

Why a Zero and Sync Hybrid Is Best for This Racket

The received wisdom among stringers is simple and it holds up: in a Pure Aero, keep polyester in the mains to protect the spin, and use a softer, rounder cross to add control and comfort. That is exactly what a reString Zero and reString Sync hybrid does.

The mains are the strings that move most under contact, and they do the majority of the spin work. The crosses shape the feel and hold everything together.

Below are three reasons this pairing fits the Pure Aero.

Zero Mains Keep the Spin Identity

Zero is the most explosive string in our range. The hexagonal profile has six edges that grip and dig into the ball, and the Signature Snapback coating keeps the mains sliding freely and returning fast.

Putting Zero in the mains is what preserves the reason you bought an Aero. The frame's grommets are built to let the mains snap back, and a shaped, low-friction main string is what lets that mechanism work to its full extent.

This is the part of the setup you do not compromise on. Spin is the Aero's identity, and the mains are where spin is made.

Sync Crosses Add Control and Feel

A full bed of shaped polyester in a Pure Aero is a lot of racket. The spin is there, but so is a high, arcing ball and a stiff, sometimes harsh response.

Sync in the crosses solves that. It is our round, control-oriented string, and in the crosses it does three things. It flattens the ball flight so shots drive through the court instead of ballooning. It adds pocketing and feel, which a full shaped bed tends to lose. And being the softer, rounder string, it takes the harsh edge off the stringbed.

You keep the Aero's spin and you gain the control and comfort that a full poly bed gives away.

A Stringbed That Lasts Longer

There is a practical benefit too. Hybrids outlast full poly beds.

A full polyester setup in a spin frame notches quickly, the grooving where mains and crosses bite into each other, and once it notches the spin fades even though the string has not broken. A softer cross reduces that friction, so the mains keep sliding and the spin stays available for longer.

For anyone stringing their own frames or paying for restrings, that is real value. Where a full poly Aero setup is done after 8 to 12 hours, a hybrid holds its feel noticeably longer.

What Tension Should You String a Pure Aero?

We recommend starting around 24 kg in the mains and 23 kg in the crosses, or roughly 53 and 51 lbs, for the Zero and Sync hybrid in the Pure Aero 100.

Stringing the crosses a kilo lower than the mains is standard practice for a hybrid. It lets the softer cross stay lively while the mains hold the control.

If you are coming from a multifilament or a synthetic gut, reduce your usual tension by around 2 kg. Polyester plays tighter than the number on the machine suggests, and stringing poly at a multifilament tension is the most common reason players try it once and give up.

From there the adjustment is simple. If the ball is landing short, drop a kilo in the mains to let it travel. If shots are flying long, add one.

What About the Pure Aero 98?

The Pure Aero 98 is a different proposition. Babolat tightened the head to 98 square inches and the pattern to 16x20, which trades some of the line's free spin and power for precision. It is the frame Carlos Alcaraz plays, and it suits players who already generate significant pace of their own.

The hybrid still works, and for most players it is still the setup we would reach for. The Zero mains keep the bite the tighter 16x20 pattern would otherwise take away, and the Sync crosses keep the feel.

Two adjustments for the 98:

Because the frame already supplies control through its denser pattern, you can afford to let the setup breathe. String it a kilo lower than the 100, around 23 kg mains and 22 kg crosses, to keep it lively rather than muted.

And if you are a flatter hitter who takes the ball early, the 16x20 pattern already gives you the control, so you may not need the Zero mains at all. A full bed of Sync is the simpler, more direct option for that game. You can compare the full lineup on our reString collection page.

Summary

We believe the best string for the Babolat Pure Aero is a hybrid of reString Zero in the mains and reString Sync in the crosses.

The Zero mains protect the spin the racket is built around. The Sync crosses bring back the control, feel and comfort that a full polyester bed gives away, and the hybrid lasts longer into the bargain.

It works in both the 100 and the 98. String the 98 a touch lower, and if you hit flat, a full bed of Sync in that frame is the simpler route.

If you are stringing up a Pure Aero, try the Zero and Sync hybrid and let us know how you find this setup.

About the Author: Julius is the founder of CourtSpin, one of the few places in Europe to get reString delivered without customs charges or import fees. He is a stringer and a player, based in Aalborg, Denmark.