Fallon Sherrock on downsides of fame and notoriety: "Doesn't matter what I do, I get hateful comments anyway"

Last week, the Belgian Darts Gala took place in Hasselt. One of the participants in this exhibition tournament was Fallon Sherrock.

"This is not my first time in Belgium," the 29-year-old Englishwoman told Het Nieuwsblad. "I did play some tournaments here before, like the Belgian Open in Antwerp. Not that I did much sightseeing then, darts always comes first. So it's also a huge honour to be invited to a big event like this. The reason is simple: I really shouldn't be invited lol, I'm a bit the odd end of the stick. And there are other women too. That they choose me then, I really consider it a privilege."

Sherrock also met Dimitri Van den Bergh in Hasselt, whom she still knows from during youth tournaments. "I do have a good connection with him. With Dimi it is always fun. We are also of the same age so we already met each other in the youth when he played in the Belgian team."

In the semifinals of the Nordic Darts Masters 2021, Sherrock came back from an 8-2 deficit to eventually win 11-10 against Van den Bergh. "I look back on those things especially when things are a little less good, to boost my confidence again. I can be quite satisfied with my career so far when you see what I have already accomplished. I am still young, so there is still a lot more potential to come. I never thought that in Belgium thousands of people would come to watch an exhibition with me. It's incredible though."

Role model

"Being the face of a sport is pretty challenging," continued 'The Queen of the Palace.' "Everyone looks up to you, so you have to be careful with everything you do and say. As a role model, you can't help but keep pushing yourself and pushing your limits. But it's been fun so far though."

In recent months, Sherrock did face serious competition from teen sensation Beau Greaves. "I was so happy to beat her in a final the other day. Before that, I was really like: Jesus, what else do I have to do? For a while I really didn't understand why I kept losing to her, because I could have knocked her before. Whether I know her well next to the oche? Beau doesn't really talk to people, she keeps to herself. And I have my own little group, too, so. But if it came up once, she seemed sweet to me. It's a process, it will come."

Hate messages

Sherrock does experience the toll of fame. "No matter what I do, I always have to deal with hateful reactions. I can be the best person in the world and still get hate or I can do everything wrong and still get hate. I'm at a point now where I'm thinking, If you're going to hate me, hate me. I'm not going to beat around the bush, I even get it from players now and I really don't care anymore. I'm at a point where I don't care what anybody does or says to me."

"I hope that if I keep talking about it, something will be done about it," she says. "If someone were to throw accusations at my head on the street, that person would be arrested. Online, however, you can say anything, it seems. So why exactly is that okay? If I didn't say anything about it, it would just continue. Fortunately, online it has already lessened a bit, those hateful comments. On tour it's still the same I think. But by now I know which people I can say something to and which I can't. I know that with some people it makes no sense to start a conversation."

No grey area

"You do things that others want to do, you understand? But if someone like me doesn't push boundaries, then someone else will and they will be the target of hate. So let them do it. Although it did influence my game though. That I started thinking about it... But that period is over. It's also true that they either love me or hate me, there is no grey area. Fortunately, I've had a lot of support from famous darters like Gerwyn Price and Michael Smith. Their advice has really helped me move forward."