"Feels like every opponent has the game of their life against you" - James Wade insists form is good despite lack of results

James Wade has suffered a slide down the rankings over the last year. Having spent almost his entire career in the top 16, the multiple major winner has now dropped to 23rd place in the Order of Merit.

Just last weekend, Wade went down in the first round of the Austrian Darts Open. "When you are on a bad run in darts, it feels like every opponent has the game of their life against you," Wade reflects in his column for the Daily Star. "This past weekend at the European Tour event in Graz, Austria, it actually was the case for me. Fair play to Martin Schindler. In our match, not only did he record his personal record average of 111.5, he also created a record for all German players, while most of his legs were completed in 13 darts or less."

Despite his somewhat lesser results however, Wade isn't starting to panic just yet. "My game is coming and this gives me the belief of that. I just need to be patient and wait for my run at one of these events," he explains with optimism.

At the Austrian Darts Open, it was the teenage darting sensation Luke Littler who secured himself the prestigious Green Jacket. Something that wasn't wholly surprising for Wade. "Once again, Luke Littler was the one producing the goods in that tournament. It is becoming increasingly predictable at the moment," the Machine concludes.