EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW | Jeffrey de Graaf could meet his idol Gary Anderson at World Championship: ''If he throws a little less, I can make it difficult for anyone''
PDC
Officially there are sixteen Dutchmen qualified for the World Darts Championship, but of course we can count Jeffrey de Graaf as the seventeenth Dutchman. De Graaf was born in Den Helder, but has been living in Sweden for several years now.
In 2023, De Graaf lived in the Scandinavian country for five years, finally qualifying for Swedish citizenship. Since last year, therefore, De Graaf has been darting under Swedish citizenship. Later this month, De Graaf may make his second appearance at the PDC World Darts Championship as a Swedish dart player. Ahead of this tournament, Dartsnews.com had an exclusive interview with him.
For the eighth time you can compete in the World Darts Championship. First competed four times at Lakeside and now for the fourth time at the PDC. Is this perhaps your finest qualification, nice and comfortable through the Pro Tour?
In 2019 I had qualified through the European Pro Tour, then there were only 16 players through the Pro Tour rankings instead of 32, so that was a bit more difficult. But no, basically I assumed that I should succeed this year. It was one of my goals at the beginning of the year. I'm glad I succeeded. On the other hand, it was a tough year, because I noticed that I had to work hard after I got my Tour Card.
Did winning the Tour Card still come as a surprise in the end, especially since you only won it on the last day?
In the end though... I was a little disappointed in my own game. It's very difficult anyway and I just didn't throw well enough. I thought maybe a Tour Card would come too soon anyway, but then I made it on the last day. I was throwing pretty well then too, but I knew it had to be a lot better if I wanted to achieve something on the tour.
You had reached the last 32 at the World Darts Championship before that. Do you understand then that people think you're going to pick up a Tour Card just as easily?
Naturally people think that, but it doesn't quite work that way. The World Championship is different anyway, where the preparation is much easier. You have your own throw-in board, you're there four hours in advance, and you're much more tuning in for one match. At the Q-School, you have a lot of pressure, and you're throwing in with five people on one board. The conditions are very different. And you have to play a whole day. It's very different as a preparation for a World Championship.
For you, it wasn't a 1,2,3 for you to go get a Tour Card either?
In the beginning I did. Then I had a lot of self-confidence and thought it should work. I reached the final stage of the Q-School quite easily. But during the final stage itself I lost on the first day to Liam Maendl-Lawrance, who threw almost a hundred average. He then lost to Martijn Dragt, who also won the tournament. The next day I lost to the winner and on the third day also. The courage sinks through your shoes.
In the end, things worked out. And halfway through the season, you were actually already sure of competing in the World Darts Championship after making it to a Pro Tour final and reaching the third round at the Dutch Darts Championship in Rosmalen. Did that allow you to go into the remaining months of the season with more relaxation?
On the one hand, yes, but to make it to the Players Championship Finals was finally a fight to the end. In the beginning of the year I was a bit unlucky with the draw; twice Gary Anderson and twice Gian van Veen in the first round. It just took me a long time to win against a top player. At one point I became more stable and won more matches. But then I lost seven times in a row. It was a bit of a struggle after that (to make it to the Players Championship Finals, ed.), but in the end I stayed in. So honestly, it's been a tough year.
At the Players Championship Finals, things went pretty well. Won over Ryan Searle and Thibault Tricole, before losing to Scott Williams. Glad you were able to play some more stage matches before the World Championship?
It's nice to be able to play those stage matches anyway. I know I have it in me, so in that respect I'm going to the World Championship with a good feeling. Everything I could show on stage this year actually went well; with the World Series, World Cup of Darts and the European Tours I played. I used to be better on the floor and less so on the stage, but this year it was actually the other way around.
How are the final days of your preparation for the World Darts Championship looking?.
I train a little more, but that's more some extra games to throw out some finishes. The finishes and some more consistency drills. That's actually my standard workout that I'll do, between 45 and 90 minutes at a time. And then I do 20 minutes of extra things after that. I've been doing this system all year and I can see that I'm getting better and better. Now I'm consistently around 95 average in the last few games. I don't think you can work on your average by 10 points in three weeks. You just have to make sure you're comfortable in your skin, stay healthy and make sure you go there positively.
Last year you were still working alongside darts, have you become a full-time darter in the meantime?
For the first six months of this year, I went on unpaid leave. That was possible because I had come so far at the World Championship (third round, ed.). In July I had cancelled my job, but now I have signed a zero-hours contract with them. So I can go back to work. I've worked two weeks this year, so that's not a lot. If it keeps going this way, it will continue this way. But next year I don't know exactly what it will all look like either. Next year I'm also going to become a father in February, so I'm also going to miss some at the beginning of the year. After that, we'll just have to wait and see how it all turns out.
Are you still going to compete in the Winmau World Masters at the end of January?
I'm still going there, that's the last one actually. We're due on February 20. So I hope I can go to the UK Open (February 28 to March 2, 2025), but that's still a question mark. I won't be there for the first four Players Championship tournaments, and I won't throw the first four Euro Tour qualifiers either.
Missing these tournaments obviously does put you behind in the qualifying race for the 2026 World Darts Championship. Did you have to think this through?
On the one hand, it was an easy decision, because you don't become a father that often. And yes the darts... Eventually I always get back into it at the pro level. This year I didn't win anything in the first six tournaments either and I still managed (to make the World Championship, ed.).
At the upcoming World Darts Championship we will see a tie between a player from Sweden and the Bahamas. You don't come across that very often at any World Championships. Do you enjoy playing against such an 'exotic' player as Rashad Sweeting?
It's really fun to play against someone like that anyway. But on the other hand; it's not the best opponent. I think I might be facing a better player here in the local league. I don't really know anything about him either. I don't know how he darts, or how fast he is, whether he throws 180s or 140 scores very easily. I saw that he threw 84 average once on the tour, and for the rest between 70 and 77. So if I get my normal game, I should be able to win against him.
On the other hand, you also don't know what to expect. You don't assume that if there is someone who normally averages 78 and is playing for the first time on behalf of his country on the biggest stage, then suddenly he is going to play his best match. You don't expect that, but some have, just look at Gian van Veen last year. That Man Lok Leung also threw one of his better matches at the World Championship then, I think.
In the second round, Gary Anderson then awaits. Is that a match you're already working on in the back of your mind?
Yes, I think so. You have to look at it match by match, that anyway. But my mother for example, she would like to come but she couldn't for the first match. Then if I come through, she'll come the second match so you're already working on it.
What would it be like for you to play against an icon like Anderson? Is that a player you used to look up to?
When I started playing darts, I think I was about fourteen at the time, he was with Gary Robson at an exhibition in Nieuwe Niedorp. And that was actually the first meeting with him. For me, he's actually been my favourite darter from a young age. So yeah, it's kind of nice to get to play against him now at the World Championship.
In conclusion; when is the World Championship successful for you?
I have to win that first round anyway and then hope it will be a great match against Gary. If I manage to win from that, then of course it will be successful. If I lose and I throw a really good match, then I'll just have to live with it. Basically you just want to win, then it doesn't matter who you're up against. I hate losing, let me put it at that.
Every match you win is nice, but Gary Anderson is a tough opponent. If he reaches his top level, it will be a tough match for me. On the one hand you expect to win a round and then we'll see. But I have to be realistic; the chance of me winning against Gary is not very big, especially with the level he showed last year. But if he throws a little less, I can make it difficult for anyone.
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