After winning the 2015 US Open final in front of a crowd who would clearly have preferred to see his opponent lift the title, Novak Djokovic said, “I'm there to earn the (fan) support, and hopefully in the future I can be in that position.”

You would think the man who just won his 10th Grand Slam title by playing some of the highest-quality tennis ever seen would be popular with fans, but Djokovic still struggles to win the admiration of spectators enjoyed by rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

And it was particularly troubling for the Serb that this occasion in Flushing Meadows provided arguably the most hostile and partisan crowd he had ever faced in his career at a major. One might argue that it was understandable. The fans wanted to see Federer, probably the greatest player of all time, win his 18th Grand Slam title in one of his final appearances at the US Open. But does that really justify their cheering when Djokovic missed a first serve, served a double fault, or hit a shot wide, long, or into the net? And does it make it acceptable to greet his excellent play with reluctant applause?

The answer is not really. This is a man in an entertainment business, whose job is to play tennis to the best of his ability – something he is clearly trying to do every minute on court. So what if he sometimes gets fired up in ways that upset people? If that is what he needs to do to perform his best, arguably he should do it. Granted, there is a balance to be found between competitiveness and pleasing the fans, and Djokovic could certainly work harder to find that balance, but the tennis world would still be poorer without him.

Early in his career, the future world No. 1 was difficult to like. He irritated opponents with seemingly endless injuries and ailments, some of them real. When he won, he tended to puff out his chest as if to say “look at me, I’m amazing,” which is not an attitude tennis fans usually warm to. He also started to beat the fan favorites, Federer and Nadal, which did not help his cause.

But now that Djokovic has all but eliminated injuries and ill health from his career, and his success has given him a legitimate claim to the “amazing” tag he always seemed to want, surely he deserves a bit more love from the fans. After all, this is the man who has now won three out of four Grand Slams in two different years – 2011 and 2015. And in both of those seasons, he was every bit as dominant as Federer – arguably the greatest player of all time – was at his best.

Perhaps it is simply a matter of time before Djokovic is appreciated. As Federer’s chances of winning an 18th Grand Slam title continue to fade with age, perhaps fans will begin to let go of their hopes of seeing him win and will start to pay attention to the supremely dominant Serb, who has been setting standards in the sport ever since his magical run of form in 2011. Maybe Djokovic will relax too as he becomes safer in the knowledge that he is no longer competing with arguably the most popular player in the sport for the crowd’s affections.

Until such a time, the world No. 1 should focus on keeping up the good work and winning as many of the sport’s biggest titles as he can. If he continues to accrue achievements at his current rate (nine Grand Slam titles in the last five years), he will soon be officially one of the best male tennis players of all time – regardless of what fans think of him. Ironically, he may end up being a more popular player if he does not surpass or equal Federer’s greatest-of-all-time tally of 17 Grand Slams.

Djokovic’s style of play is another reason why his successes are viewed with ambivalence by many tennis fans. His game is based on rock-solid defense, arguably the best ever, and that means he wins a high proportion of points by forcing opponents into errors, rather than by hitting eye-catching winners à la Federer. His serve is nothing electrifying either, so it’s fairly easy to zone out when watching it.

However, there are several things the Serb does spectacularly on court, and he deserves particular recognition for these. His cross-court backhands (and forehands) are often superb, his touch at the net (on the rare occasions he ventures there) is frequently sublime, and his speed and flexibility enable him to retrieve many balls that other players would have no prospect of reaching.

Djokovic’s incredible determination to win should also be enough to earn numerous fans, but many viewers do not like the way he expresses it. He bellows at Boris Becker in his box, beats his chest, or raises both arms imploringly, and the crowd response is almost always minimal. For a time, the world No. 1 would occasionally dance and joke on court, and a little more of this now would probably make him more likeable. The sense of humor that these moments demonstrated actually often comes out in interviews and press conferences, making Djokovic a more likeable presence off the court than on it – not the ideal situation for any player. The Serb’s situation demonstrates that winning everything in sight is not enough on its own to earn fans.

In the decades after Djokovic retires, pundits and fans will undoubtedly look back at his achievements and celebrate them, and his popularity will not matter one bit. But while he is still around, and he surely has at least another five years left at the top, he will want to be loved by the fans, and their adoration will be difficult to earn until Federer retires. When the Swiss maestro does finally hang up his racket, however, Djokovic should seize his chance to relax on court and remember to have fun there. He may win more fans that way.