Some of those messages are of appreciation for the 12-year-old's game. However, most times, the calls are also to praise the young lad for his conviction and honesty during matches.

"He is one of the players who is known for being a very good sport on the court," says Bikkannavar about his ward.

"Everybody appreciates his fairness. Because, generally, at these age group competitions players tend to make a lot of wrong calls, arguments and such negative behaviour. But Dhanush is one of the few kids who believes in fair play. That doesn't mean he isn't aggressive on the court. He is fully committed during play," offers the coach who has been training Dhanush at the Sol Sports Tennis Academy since he was a four-year-old kid.

Fearless play mixed with the right attitude has enabled the right-hander to collect several trophies over the past few months. The grade six student of Ebenezer International School in Bengaluru, is currently ranked third in the boys' under-12 All India Tennis Association (AITA) ranking and is likely to be a part of the Indian squad for the ITF Asia 12 & Under Team Competition - South Asia Regional Qualifying event to be held in Kathmandu from April 11 to 18.

The surge to the top-3 in the country began when Dhanush won his first National Series U-12 doubles title in Mumbai last year in May following which he has clinched two more doubles' titles along with three singles trophies. Becoming the U-12 national doubles champion on March 7 was his latest spoil.

Ask him about his favourite win, Dhanush swiftly replies: "The National Series in Bengaluru (December 2025) where I won both the singles and doubles."

Further, the youngster assesses: "The opponent I defeated in the semifinal, I had lost to him thrice before that. But still, I made a comeback and then I won that match. And then the guy I played in the final had beaten the No. 1 guy. Then, you know, I managed to beat him. So it was good"

The maturity at such a young age is striking, perhaps inherited from the humble background that father Manjunath (a kabaddi played turned tennis coach) and mother Kavitha (a primary school teacher) from the village Sankapura in Madhugiri taluk of Tumakuru embody.

"Of course, I want to win big tournaments. Even if I lose, I never want to give easy points and the opponents have to win by earning them from me," says Dhanush who admires Novak Djokovic for the way the 24-time Grand Slam champion carries himself both on and off the court - an attitude the young man has incorporated in his own life.

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Dhanush SM

Achievements

National Series U-12: Winner (2025): Doubles (Mumbai); Doubles (Hyderabad); Singles (Hyderabad); Singles (Nanded); Singles & Doubles (Bengaluru); Runners-up: Singles (Hyderabad). 2026: Singles (runner-up, Belagavi). U-12 Nationals: Doubles (winner), singles (semifinalist) in Mumbai.