Tamil star Dhanush, known for his love for tennis, has heaped glowing praise on Novak Djokovic for his stunning performance in the US Open semifinal held on Friday.

Although the actor has long declared himself a die-hard Rafael Nadal loyalist, he couldn’t help but admire Djokovic’s spirited play. Taking to social media, Dhanush wrote, “Taking nothing away from @carlosalcaraz, the level of tennis @DjokerNole played at the US Open was nothing short of breathtaking. A year younger Djoko – or even a day younger – and the result could have been very different. The second set truly could have gone either way. The scoreline doesn’t do justice to the Herculean effort and magical tennis he brought to the court. From a hardcore Rafa fan… Hats off, Djoko.”

Meanwhile, fans of Dhanush are eagerly waiting for his next directorial outing, Idly Kadai, which is all set to release worldwide on October 1. The film, featuring Dhanush and Nithya Menen in the lead, was initially scheduled for an April 10 release but got postponed.

Shot extensively in Bangkok, the film promises a gripping face-off between Dhanush and Arun Vijay, who plays the antagonist. Adding to the cast is Shalini Pandey in a key role. The project is bankrolled by Wunderbar Films in association with Dawn Pictures, with Kiran Koushik handling cinematography and GV Prakash composing the music.

With Idly Kadai, Dhanush is not just leading on screen but also calling the shots behind the camera, further raising expectations among his fans.