Stéphane Penso’s review
Stéphane Penso: attacking the Babolat Air 2.5 · Padel Magazine
Article: Stéphane Penso · 2025-01-23
The reviewer thanks Babolat France’s Bastien Richard for advance access to the rackets.
The attacking reason to choose it
Penso’s Air 2.5 test praises the Viper’s combination of manoeuvrability and attacking response. He finds confident, precise volleys and effective smashes, while the revised drilling gives more tolerance on off-centre contacts than the previous version. This is his assessment of the 2025 Air Viper, not a conclusion about every Babolat Viper.
How Veron changes the choice
The same review describes the Air Veron as the more flexible, permissive alternative, with Black EVA and CarbonFlex rather than the Viper’s X-EVA and 16K carbon face. Penso credits the Veron with easier ball release, particularly when defending. The Viper’s case is strongest when you can use its attacking response, not when the model name alone appeals.
Texture is not a durability result
The review discusses the Viper’s rough finish and its usefulness for spin, but explicitly leaves long-term durability of that treatment open. Do not treat the initial test as evidence that the surface will retain identical grip indefinitely. Compare controlled volleys and defensive pickups before spending the entire demo on spin-heavy smashes.
What to try on court
Demo the Air Viper beside the Air Veron if you want quick handling but are deciding how firm and attacking a response to choose. Keep the 2.5 generation fixed.