Technique is important - but so is feel

Without using the right technique, it is not possible to become
anything special in tennis or even evolve as a tennis player. We all
have to learn the correct techniques, we have to learn how to hit the
ball and when to hit it. When to hit cross court and when it is okay to
go for a clean down the line shot. When to approach the net.... you
know the deal. I think the problem comes, when you try to hit the ball
like for example federer. You are so eager to make it look elegant and
beautiful and you are sure that this is the right way to go. But as the
ball is comming towards you, everything you do feels mechanical. You
can't get the timing right, and you are not able to do, what you are
meaning to with the ball. How many guys out there have the exact same motion as Federer?
Or Tommy Haas, or Rafael Nadal? It is always going to look different,
because we have to find our gamestyle for ourselves, it is okay to look
at a pro in order to get inspired, but if you do not allow yourself to
find that feel, the way that helps you maximize your shots, it is going
to be difficult my friend.

So yesterday, as I was playing with my friend I thought to myself, the hell with this technique, I don't
care how federer prepares before he unloads the forehand. I am going to feel the ball and try to hit the best way I can
- And the result was me hitting the best damn forehands I had ever
gotten to hit in my life so far. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe copying federer
is the way to go. But it was not for me.