EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW | Leon Weber details nerve-wracking Q-School final: "Didn't give me a chance to breathe"

The 2025 darts season got off to an extremely successful start from a German perspective. At the PDC European Q-School in Kalkar, five of the 16 Tour Cards went to German players. Alongside renowned names such as Max Hopp and Kai Gotthardt, 22-year-old Leon Weber also secured a ticket for the professional tour. Weber, who was already a secret favorite before the start of the tournament, experienced an unforgettable nail-biter on the Q-School final day in Kalkar.

A few days after the biggest success of his career, Weber recalls his final decisive day of Q-School in an exclusive interview with Dartsnews.com, looks ahead to his debut as a PDC pro and reveals how intensively he will play the Pro Tour.

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It wasn't even three days ago when your name turned dark green in the Q-School Order of Merit and you finally secured your Tour Card after a nerve-wracking Sunday. Have you been able to process this success yet?

Leon Weber: Not yet, because I haven't had the time yet. I went straight back to work on Monday and then I had a lot of organizing to do to clarify all sorts of things for the tour - including a meeting with my employer. But yes, Sunday was really, really exhausting for me.

From a German perspective, some Tour Card winners - such as Pascal Rupprecht, Tim Wolters and Paul Krohne - were only able to take part in the Pro Tour tournaments in phases for personal and professional reasons. What about you? Will you be playing the entire tour?

Yes! As I said, I had a conversation with my employer yesterday. Fortunately, I have an employer who is behind me. Of course, I have to reduce my working hours because it's no longer feasible in terms of time. But I have their backing and will play the whole tour.

You played a very impressive 2024. What expectations did you travel to Kalkar with?

I knew that my game and my level could be enough to get the tour card. However, things haven't gone really well in training over the last few weeks, so I wasn't expecting to have to get the card. But I gave it my all and even though the matches didn't feel good for me, it was somehow enough.

You made it through to the quarter-finals on the first day of the first stage and qualified for the final stage. How important was this successful start for you?

I think it was good for my self-confidence, but I have to be honest and say that I would have liked to have played those two days. I sat in the hall on Tuesday and Wednesday and supported my friends. But as my game didn't really feel good, I would have liked to have taken the two days as training. But of course, the main thing was to go through it first.

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You impressed with strong averages and very consistent performances right from the start. Why weren't you satisfied with your games?

In fact, averages of around 85 points are not where I want to be. I can also see what I can play otherwise - of course I haven't played 95 or so consistently before, but I know that I'm capable of it and I've practiced a lot for it. Even if things didn't go really well in training, there were some strong games from time to time. At Q-School, however, it felt like I could do a lot more in every game. That sounds stupid now, because I got myself a tour card and am now complaining here... but that's how it felt.

Weber reached the quarter-finals in his PDC Europe Super League debut

On the first day of the final stage, you made it straight through to the quarter-finals and collected three points for the Order of Merit. That made you one of the favorites for the Tour Card right from the start. Has this strong start changed anything about your approach?

The start has already changed something, because before this day I still thought that I wouldn't have to get the card and that a Tour Card win would be rather surprising. But when you get three points on the first day, you're already very close and then you want it. That also makes you feel more pressure on the next few days in every match where a point is at stake, because you know that this match can bring you one step closer. So I think that has affected my starting position and my thoughts a little bit.

You collected one point for the Order of Merit on each of the following two days. Were you satisfied with that, or could the lid have already been on at that point?

Of course, after day two and three I was already thinking about it, because I often had the opportunity to score one or two more points. Actually, I could have scored a bit more each day and saved myself the stress on the last day. You do regret the points a bit because you know that you'll get a good opponent on the last day and can go out in round one. Marcel (Althaus, editor's note) played brilliantly on the last day and I go out in round one... So yes, I would have liked to have secured my Tour Card a bit earlier.

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What was going through your mind when you were actually eliminated in round one on the decisive day?

I was actually still really relaxed during the match because I believed that my level would be enough to take the match. But Marcel left absolutely nothing out and then took out finishes like 158 and didn't give me a chance to breathe. I was totally out of it after that because I knew that could be it now, after working towards it all week.

"That was a huge rollercoaster ride"

You were still well positioned in fifth place in the live ranking, but you had to hope that not too many players would overtake you. How did you spend the crucial hours?

I was in the hall from the Althaus defeat until the final and sat at the table with my girlfriend and a few colleagues throughout. We had several cell phones in use, one for the ranking, the others for my opponents' games. It was up and down... There were phases when everything was going for me, then later everything was going against me again. It was a huge rollercoaster ride.

How nice was the moment when you finally had the Tour Card? How much weight was lifted from your shoulders?

Shortly beforehand, Max Czerwinski, a good friend of mine, had picked up the tour card. I kept peeking over my shoulder to see how the match between Daniel Klose and Pero Ljubic was going. We had the game open on DartConnect, but it was a bit delayed. So I kept looking towards the board and watching the reactions - and when I saw Pero start to cheer, I was completely floored. I can't even describe the feeling;

Let's take a look into the future: what are your goals for your first professional season?

I definitely want to arrive on the tour first, I know that it will be a completely new situation. All the people you normally see on TV are now my opponents - you have to get used to that first. Fortunately, I have a lot of Germans around me, including players who have been on the tour for a while and can give me tips. My goal is to find my game as soon as I've settled in and, towards the end of the year, it would of course be cool if I could qualify for the World Championships.

Which German players are you in contact with and what tips can you pick up there?

I've written to Lukas Wenig a lot in the last few days and he offered me his help, which I was very pleased about. Apart from that, I'm good friends with Niko (Springer, editor's note) and Max Czerwinski. Even though they are also new Tour Card holders, I think it's very important to have a good environment and not be alone. I also get on very well with Max Hopp and actually all the Germans. I think it will be a cool time, but you still have to remember that this is not a friendly event.

You are known as a big Gary Anderson fan. Have you imagined what it will be like to stand on the board with the Flying Scotsman for the first time?

The thought is unavoidable. Fortunately, I've already met Gary at an exhibition and exchanged a few words with him, so the first "flash" is already gone. But I think it will be something special when you play against players like that. But I don't see it as pressure, I'm just up for it. As soon as I'm on the board and the game starts, I want to win the match - no matter who I'm playing.

You only started playing darts three years ago. How important was your mental strength to become so successful so quickly?

I worked with Johannes Lipsius (mental coach, editor's note), which helped me. When I started playing darts, I got annoyed very quickly and a lot, but at some point I came to the realization that my calm nature helps me a lot. I think this inner calm is very important for me because it helps me to cope better in pressure situations. After defeats, I'm offended, very annoyed and sometimes really exhausting - my girlfriend has to put up with a lot. But once 1-2 hours have passed, my goal is to do better next time and become even stronger. I invest a lot in that.

What are you most looking forward to on the PDC Pro Tour?

I don't even know where to start, I'm just in an abnormal mood. My life is changing completely now, of course, because I can't do my job like I used to. Of course, the money also plays a role, because it's not a small amount to earn there. But first and foremost, I'm looking forward to this time and trying to grow even more and simply have fun.

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