Five biggest absentees from field at 2022 World Matchplay

The World Matchplay starts on Saturday 16 July with a field of 32 players. Among them are four debutants, while also some familiar names have failed to qualify for the tournament in Blackpool.

In this article DartsNews.com takes a closer look at the five biggest absentees at the World Matchplay 2022.

For the past two seasons Glen Durrant, semi-finalist in 2019 and 2020, has been a seeded player at the World Matchplay, but this year 'Duzza' failed to even qualify for the prestigious event at the Winter Gardens.

After winning the Premier League Darts in 2020, Durrant's career went downhill fast. The three-time Lakeside champion is now in danger of losing his Tour Card after this season.

Very close to the World Matchplay title was Mensur Suljovic in 2018, but he eventually lost to Gary Anderson 21-19 in a thriller.

This year, partly due to a brief absence from the Pro Tour, the Austrian failed to qualify for the World Matchplay for the first time since 2014. In 2021, 'The Gentle' was also absent in Blackpool, but then he had qualified. However, Suljovic withdrew at the last minute.

Looking at the Order of Merit, Mervyn King being in 21st spot is the highest ranked absentee at this tournament. It is only the second time since 2006 that 'The King' is absent in Blackpool.

Although King has shown some great results in TV tournaments tournaments, including a quarter-final at the last World Darts Championship, he has had a disappointing season on the Pro Tour.  

Ian White will also not be playing at the Winter Gardens this year. 'The Diamond' has been a regular at this tournament in recent years, as he has qualified every year from 2012 to 2021.

In terms of ranking, White was perhaps the biggest victim of the COVID-19 pandemic. He had a very successful 2019, but could not defend these results because tournaments were cancelled. White slipped down the Order of Merit, and especially the Pro Tour rankings. He has not yet managed to find his way up again now that the circuit is back in full swing.

For the second year running, Simon Whitlock is absent from the World Matchplay. In 2020 he surprisingly won against Michael van Gerwen at this tournament, before eventually being eliminated in the quarter-finals.

Last month Whitlock pulled off a shock with compatriot Damon Heta winning for Australia at the World Cup of Darts. Heta is the only Australian competing in Blackpool this year.