Madhavan announced a sabbatical from films in late 2010 citing he would take the time off to visit London, lose weight, play golf, take treatment for his knee injury and spend time with family. Though he kept away from starting new projects, during the period he was involved in the promotional activity of two of his releases, "Manmadan Ambu" and "Tanu Weds Manu". He later made a comeback, earlier than anticipated, after director Linguswamy convinced him to work on "Vettai". The actor later took an extended sabbatical from 2012 onwards to work on his fitness and get into shape for his role as a retired boxer in "Irudhi Suttru". Madhavan is a keen golf player, having played for pleasure alongside actor Amitabh Bachchan and director Mani Ratnam, while also appearing in a celebrity charity event in 2007. In 2017, he won the qualification round of the Mumbai leg of the Mercedes Trophy golf meet and subsequently qualified for the National Finals. He also made an appearance for Chennai Rhinos in the 2011 Celebrity Cricket League, playing against Karnataka Bulldozers. His experiences flying Cessna planes when he was with National Cadet Corps, also led to a passion for aero-modelling, with the actor stating it "justified his decision" to pursue a degree in electronics.