04/05/2024

Vincent van der Voort doesn't want to throw in the towel just yet: ''It's up to me to show it''

Vincent van der Voort has yet to find his top form this season. 'The Dutch Destroyer' has earned only 8,500 pounds on the PDC Tour in 2024 and must fear losing his Tour Card after this season.

The highlight for Van der Voort was reaching the last 64 at the UK Open after winning two matches. The darter from Purmerend had yet to qualify for a Euro Tour tournament and only survived the first round of a Players Championship event three times. ''At the moment I'm obviously not in the best phase, so you're trying to get your game from training onto the match board. That hasn't worked out yet this year," the 2007 UK Open finalist acknowledged to Sportnieuws.co.uk.

Vincent van der Voort analyses poor form of Peter Wright: "Now he just throws poorly with everything"

That was also partly due to injuries that Van der Voort was suffering from, although "Fast Vinnie" is currently fit. "At the moment I have nothing, so let's knock that off," he says, laughing. "It is to be hoped that it stays that way for the next few months, so I can really go full steam ahead."

"Because of that, it almost has to be something mental," Van der Voort thinks aloud. "With training, of course you try to put a certain pressure on yourself, especially with certain games. Being busy beforehand with how you want to show yourself. You have to change that button. TOTO also helps me excellently with that, but in the end it's up to myself to show it."

"Had he not said that, I probably never would have won that final": Raymond van Barneveld brought out 'The Eye of the Tiger' after Taylor outburst

Van der Voort will have to be in the top-64 of the world rankings after this season to keep his Tour Card. On the virtual world rankings for January 2025, Van der Voort is only 76th, which means a hell of a job awaits the Dutch dart player. "The chances of me losing this one are high, I'm honest like that. I'm not necessarily concerned about it. If the level doesn't go up this year, I don't even want that tour card. You want to go to tournaments and feel like you belong. If you don't have that anymore you have to give credit to yourself."

Van der Voort wants to start taking stock of the continuation of his career around October. ''Then you know where you stand. If the level does go up significantly and I still lose my tour card, then it's sour and then I can decide to go to Q School. But if you don't get results for two years, then you also just have to say, 'this was it for me'. I have been throwing for so long, almost forty years. Then it's also nice to be done once."