De Zwaan on shock of Van Barneveld not receiving World Series Finals spot: "He's had a better year than me and of course it's Barney"

Jeffrey de Zwaan was announced as one of four Dutch wildcards for the World Series of Darts Finals next week in Amsterdam.

One of them went to 'The Black Cobra', who has often struggled with injuries in the last two years. “That I can play there is wonderful for me. The throw is okay, but the biggest problem remains the shoulder. I still feel the pain, I can't get rid of it right away. It has helped me more than once, but what really helps me? I've been trying to find out lately," said 'The Black Cobra' at sportnieuws.nl.

For De Zwaan, the invitation to the World Series of Darts Finals came as a big surprise. “I was quite surprised that they called me and really didn't take it into account, especially after my poor performance over the past two years. They basically just kept the world rankings and invited the highest placed players.”

Raymond van Barneveld missed a wild card. “He's had a better year than me and of course it's 'Barney'. We train a lot together. We talked about it, but the PDC made a choice. He has to and we all have to accept that.”

De Zwaan last played in a major tournament at the UK Open in early March. “I am very happy to be able to participate in a television tournament again and then it is extra special that it is in Amsterdam. I know what it's like to be in front of such a crowd." De Zwaan was involved as a challenger in 2019 during the Premier League in Rotterdam. "I'll take that experience with me anyway."