The Five Most Iconic Tennis Rackets Of The 2000s

In the ever-evolving world of tennis, rackets have played a crucial role in the sport's development, but five can be called "the most iconic."

Over the last two decades, several racket models have been introduced, with many getting a lot of popularity and recognition, influencing styles of play. However, only a few remained popular throughout the years, and we'll take a look at five of the most iconic tennis rackets of the 2000s.

5. Prince O3 White

One the most striking racket technologies of the last 20 years, O3 was developed by Prince to provide greater power and stability to the player, by incorporating large ports into the racket frame to increase string movement.

The result was a series of powerful, forgiving rackets with lively feel, and the most iconic of the series was perhaps the O3 white endorsed by Maria Sharapova. Interestingly, former world number four James Blake worked with Prince to develop O3 rackets, but ultimately decided against using the new technology on tour, preferring the older Dunlop frames he was more accustomed to.

4. Wilson Pro Staff Tour 90 & 95

Tennis was changing in the 2000s, and while a racket with the heavy specs of the ProStaff Tour 90 seemed like a thing of the past, it instead formed a fantastic bridge between the new and old styles of attacking tennis – particularly the nCode and K-Factor prostaffs, which blended contemporary technology seamlessly with the old-fashioned specifications to create precise, versatile rackets for those with an all-court game.

The Tour 90 was the choice of Roger Federer for all the years he dominated the sport in the 2000s – with the 95 square inch model perhaps being the more realistic headsize of the two, and in fact is still the choice of several pro players today.

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3. Head Radical

With approval from legendary American tennis player Andre Agassi, the Head Radical was firmly part of the establishment by the 2000s. A comfortable, stable racket with a multitude of editions to suit any type of game, it was popular amongst both casual and advanced tennis players – and still is today.

Andy Murray would replace Agassi as the Head Radical’s main endorser, but it’s worth noting Novak Djokovic began his career competing with the Head Radical Liquidmetal Tour, with his racket today still loosely based on this old Head frame.

2. Babolat Aeropro Drive

Adding to the already successful lineup of the Pure Drive and Pure Control, the Babolat Aeropro Drive was an instant hit thanks to the incredible rise of a young Rafael Nadal, with whom Babolat had in mind when developing the racket.

Similar to the Pure Drive, this was a light, accessible racket for a new game, albeit with a targeted approach to higher swing speeds and high spin rates. The result was a fast, aerodynamic frame beloved by the tennis community for almost twenty years, and one that still has a place in the game today.

1. Babolat Pure Drive

The most iconic racket of the 2000s, the Babolat Pure Drive took the tennis world by storm. With key endorsements from fan favourite players such as Andy Roddick, the black and powder blue pure drive made it’s way into the hands of tennis fans around the globe, and they were instantly won over.

This was a light, powerful racket, accessible to all levels of the sport and built for a new kind of powerful baseline game that finally arrived in the early 2000s.

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