I have mixed feelings about the above quote. First of aff, yes, he's the least liked of the big 3 for obvious reasons (for me personally, that means some of his past behaviour). I agree it is sort of relevant to his achievements, perhaps in positive way as you described, but to me that doesn't really fly, as he himself is the primary cause of that hostilty. He could have made it a lot easier for himself by trying to avoid that. Tennis is a very intense mental sport and to me the abilitty to control your emotions to a certain extend as Fed and Nad have displayed is part of that greatness. For Fed because he's been able to turn the page on his past bad behaviour (he was a complate utter basketcase in his early days) and for Nad because he never even trashed a single racket (he might be one of very few players indeed like that). Both things are impressive and the invitation has been open to Nole to try to do the same (and credit to him, it seems he's been trying to. That's why his neanderthaler screams at the end of the QF was so off putting to me. Then again, giving that stick to that kid was crazy cool). This is also one of the reasons I've grown to like Kyrgios - though I couldn't stand him in the past. He's still in that process of change, but if you follow him on social media, you can see honest effort and the process involved to deal with his bagage. To me that goes a lot further than the 'like me, like me, like me' actions of Nole that can come off as fake(ish). I think for now I can describe it best as Fed and Nad being ambassadors for the sport, and Nole being an ambassador for Nole. I think most people respond better to the first than to the latter.
As a side note, you can't really fault a person for the actions of his dad, but Djokovic Senior should really STFU and my appreciation for Nole would rise substantially if he were to denounce some of his old man's actions/statementss.
I read a post here a few days ago that Federer is slated for the same destiny as Sampras, that since he's been overtaken in records, people don't remember him for the qualities he had anymore. Perhaps. But one day that will be true for Nole as well, as one day his records will be trashed (be it sooner or later). Then what will his legacy be? That he's just one in a long row of people who raised the bar like sampras, fed, etc? And by the way, who took out a line judge by hitting her with a ball or acting like a DB at certain times? Or can he show growth there as well? Would be interesting to see for sure!
Hmmm....a lot of points here

Some I agree with, some I don't at all. Here goes:
1) Srdjan's media bytes- True, they are reprehensible. He should, definitely, STFU

But I don't think it's reasonable to expect Novak to denounce his father's statements. Parent--child bonds, especially in closely knit families (as the Djokovic's definitely are) - are very strong indeed, and I don't think Novak would at all feel it's appropriate to publicly castigate his father/ remonstrate with him. He
has said, though, on a couple of occasions, that he does not agree with everything his father says. In private, ofc I agree, he should definitely be telling Srdjan to zip it, and most likely he would
already have done so.
2) Yes, Novak's behaviour several times has not been stellar. Though I am a very keen fan, I do agree about this. But, as you said, he's been improving this -
a lot. I genuinely find it odd that people still tend to harp more on the bad side, not on the multiple instances of good, thoughtful and considerate behaviour. And those examples abound, too. They far outnumber his missteps. I find it interesting too, that you just state the others' good behaviour as a blanket be-all and end-all, without recognizing that there is some nuance, some tics, some chinks in their behaviour too. I don't want to get on a fan war here at all, I like Rafa almost as much as Novak, and I respect Fed's beautiful game though I am not a fan of his. The point is, both these great players also have missteps. Fed has sounded extremely ungracious and prissy - see his interview after 2011 USO loss, or the years in which he would give left handed compliments to Rafa as "perhaps the greatest
clay court player" - even the years when Rafa had the h2h lead in outdoor hard! He's mellowed with time to become a more gracious person. But the nuance and shades of behaviour exist, for all 3. I do not agree with you at all, in your statement that Fed and Rafa are ambassadors for the sport while Novak is for himself. That is really far too reductive, please see his efforts for lower ranked players, for example- which those players themselves attest to.
3) I find it odd - really, really odd- that you should reference Kyrgios as an example of improving behaviour in this context. What are you comparing it to? With his horrendously crude, sexist comment about Donna when he was trying to "sledge" Wawrinka? That is the pits of bad behaviour, are you saying that his present antics are not as bad so it's OK? See, I am not saying Kyrgios is Satan incarnate or anything- I'm sure he has a good side as well. But overall, he is bumptious, rude, given to virtue signalling rather than
genuinely displaying a good heart. He is also given to cynically playing to the gallery a lot, in my opinion. I do not agree
at all, with your conclusion that Kyrgios' attempts are genuine while Novak's are "fake-ish". Do try to view the latter with less of a jaundiced eye, and who knows, you might change your opinion?
4) As to your last para - Yes, Novak should have been careful where he flung the ball, and ofc it was a terrible mishap that he hit the line judge. But your words almost seem to indicate he did it deliberately (I know you didn't intend it that way, but the way you phrased it carried that import). It was a flash of temper, it was wrong, and he paid for it with the DQ. Personally, I thought that a game penalty was the suitable punishment there, but it is what it is. I agree with you on the hope that he would work on controlling his anger in the future.
But overall, I would say that he is a Great Champion, with an iron will and a tremendous heart. I think his place in the legacy of the sport as one of the Very Greatest is secure, and will endure. He is not perfect, but he certainly is showing a lot of growth, and personally I strongly feel that audiences (though they may not designate him their favourite), do owe him respect for his magnificent achievements. And yes, I would reiterate that the fact he has overcome a mostly indifferent - and at times howlingly hostile- crowd to win so very often, is a further testament to his greatness.
Nothing can excuse the behaviour of the crowd at the USO 2015 final, for example - it was so horrendous that almost all sports writers remarked on it. To a lesser degree, the same happened in Wimbledon 2019 - though it was definitely less boorish.
Though we disagree on many respects, I would thank you for the civil tone you have used in your reply to my earlier post above. It has been sadly lacking in some of the other posters here - and no, they are not Novak fans, who normally get accused of bad behaviour.
