"For me it’s a when, not if": Ted Evetts aiming for a ProTour return as he embraces life off tour

For years, Ted Evetts was one of darts’ most promising young players. A former World Youth Champion and winner of 14 Development Tour titles, “Super Ted” carved out a reputation as one of the most prolific talents on the PDC circuit. His career has already been marked by highs and flashpoints – not least his famous 2019 World Championship meeting with Fallon Sherrock.

Now, two years on from losing his PDC tour card, Evetts finds himself at a new stage of his career. Determined to win his way back to the top but also enjoying the chance to embrace the parts of life he missed during eight relentless years on tour, he is striking a balance that he believes can ultimately help him when the time comes to return.

“I’ve been playing quite well recently,” Evetts reflects to MODUS series Tungsten Talk. “I felt unlucky at parts of Q School and Challenge Tour. When it felt comfortable, it was naughty – after 12s, 13s, 14s, 15s – where I expect myself to be. It doesn’t always happen, I understand that, but they’re creeping back into my game. It just needs to happen a bit more often.”

Unlike his years on tour, Evetts’ weekly routine now has room for more than just darts. “I play Monday night with the lads, so I get to see them a bit,” he explains. “Other than that, I’m not really going to local comps. It’s probably doing me a disservice by not doing that, but at the same time, I had eight years on the tour where it was missing nieces, nephews, first birthdays.

“I don’t want to say I’ve taken a step back, because I haven’t. I’m still going to the Challenge Tour and going for what I want. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to be back on the tour where I feel like I belong. But at the same time, I’m trying to make the most of playing a bit of Sunday League football, going back to golf – just to enjoy life a bit more again.”

It is a new perspective, and one that comes after the rigours of professional life began to weigh on him. “I got to a point on the Pro Tour where I was very much like, I don’t really want to go. I wanted to be there once I was there, but the thought of going back up to Wigan, back to Barnsley, it felt like a chore more than enjoying it. When I started, I was loving life being there. Once I am there, I absolutely adore it. But I think it’s just about trying to enjoy a bit outside of it now.”

One of the biggest positives for him has been time with family. “I’ve got a fairly big family and now when I go to see them, it’s carnage – two two-year-olds and a five-year-old – but I absolutely love it. I can go for a walk with them, have that chill out on the weekends where I never ever had that before. It’s something I really appreciate.”

Evetts is clear that the sacrifices darts players make are often underestimated. “Yes, people take it for granted,” he says. “Imagine what it’s like if you’re Luke Littler at the minute. You’re 18 years of age. There’s a risk that over the next 15 years he can’t live as a normal 21- or 25-year-old. Fans just think this is something you have to accept because of the riches available in the sport. But they’re not guaranteed riches, I might add. These are difficult situations you’ve got to manage.”

Now into his second year off the tour, Evetts has noticed a change in perspective. “I want to be there – it’s not that I don’t. But I’m enjoying it. When I am turning up now, it’s like, ‘Ooh, get to go again,’ and I think that’s helping my game. It’s not slog, slog, slog all the time. I can just enjoy it and see what happens. I’m still practising a bit on the side, not pro tour practise, but still ticking over.”

That mindset served him well when he stepped in as a late reserve recently. “I only got the phone call at half nine in the morning. I was already at work. They asked if I could play, and I said, ‘Yeah, go on then, why not?’ It was two and a bit hours from where I am to Wigan. I got about 40 minutes’ practise before Keith rang me asking how far away I was. I said half an hour. He said, ‘That’s all right then, you’re first on – Johnny Clayton on stream.’ I thought, ‘Lovely.’”

For some, the second year without a card represents a crossroads, but Evetts remains confident. “To me, I don’t think anything really changes. For me it’s a when, not if. Some of the stuff I’ve shown over the years has been brilliant, absolutely class. My key word has always been consistency, as it has been for a lot of players.

“As soon as that consistency starts coming back, whether that’s in two, three, four months’ time, I’ll start playing more again and slowly build it up rather than jump into the deep end. Last year, outside of here and Challenge Tour, there wasn’t much else. By December I was doing five, six, seven hours on Sundays trying to drive myself insane with it, looking for that click. But sometimes when you look for it, it doesn’t happen. So I’m at that crossroads of, do you relax and enjoy it and let it click, or do you drive yourself insane again trying to find it?”

It is a situation he sees as positive rather than negative. “A lot of people will see stepping back as a negative. I actually see it as a huge positive – getting a slice of life. On the Pro Tour you get conditioned for best of 11 all the time. By taking a step back, you’re playing best of seven here, different formats elsewhere, and you become a stronger player.”

Evetts has never been daunted by the spotlight. “I never really felt pressure,” he insists. “I always knew I was a tidy player. Dimi [Dimitri Van den Bergh] probably had more of it because he was higher ranked. I was always happy to go under the radar. People could forget about me until I popped up in a semi-final – I didn’t mind that.

“I probably feel more pressure now, because after eight years on tour, winning the World Youth, dev tours, people still expect that now. But really, you’re the next tier down. Still very good, still capable, but not hardened and ready every single weekend.

“When I turned up as a reserve last year, I had a little quarter-final run, beat three top-10 players, and thought, ‘Hello.’ But that was because I was relaxed. There wasn’t the pressure – you’re just filling in.”

The most high-profile moment of his career remains that World Championship loss to Fallon Sherrock, but Evetts is quick to stress that it wasn’t the match itself that changed things. “A lot of people say that game ruined me – it didn’t. What ruined me was the gap afterwards through to March when COVID hit. I was still playing well after Fallon – 100 averages against Wade and Suljović – but then the world stopped. I looked at myself and thought, ‘You’ve let the tour take control of your weight management.’ I dropped four stone before the next Pro Tours just to keep myself occupied. That’s what ruined me. It wasn’t progressive – it was just trying to fill time.”

Now, Evetts feels refreshed. “It’s about finding that happy medium. Even the top players don’t want to talk about darts 24/7. Chris Dobey wants to talk about football, Michael van Gerwen about travelling – me, I want to talk about food. You need those things to keep you fresh.”

Cooking has long been a passion. “Something Italian is probably my favourite thing to cook – a butternut squash risotto. For dessert, raspberry Prosecco chocolates. I haven’t made them for a little while, but next time I’m here, I’ll bring some down.”

For Evetts, then, darts remains unfinished business – but it no longer defines his every waking moment. By embracing balance and finding joy in life beyond the oche, he believes he is in a stronger position to return when the time is right. “For me it’s a when, not if,” he says, with a smile that suggests both confidence and contentment.