“Gary’s a fantastic player, but…” – Van Barneveld senses opportunity against Anderson in World Grand Prix opener

Raymond van Barneveld is back on another big stage. The five-time world champion squeezed into the World Grand Prix by the narrowest of margins and now heads to Leicester looking to finally make a deep run on television again.

On the Darts Draait Door podcast, Van Barneveld admitted his qualification was far from straightforward. At the Swiss Open, he needed at least a quarter-final finish to book his Grand Prix spot — and only just managed it. “I definitely had some luck on my side,” he recalled. “I thought, here we go again. It’s 5–5, and I hadn’t really done much wrong. Luckily, he missed a match dart.”

That escape against Damon Heta proved decisive. One round later, he beat Ritchie Edhouse to confirm his place. “I felt good in that match, but you have to stay a hundred percent focused. I’ll admit, once I’d made it, a lot of the pressure and adrenaline dropped away.”

Vincent van der Voort, co-hosting the podcast, recognised how pivotal that week was. “It was a tournament within a tournament,” he said. “That was the goal, and he hit it.”

Van Barneveld eventually fell in the Swiss Open quarter-finals to eventual champion Stephen Bunting, but the defeat hardly mattered — the primary mission, securing a World Grand Prix spot, was accomplished. And what a first-round tie it brings: Van Barneveld versus Gary Anderson. Two icons, two multiple world champions, meeting again on one of darts’ trickiest stages.

“Gary’s been throwing really well lately,” Barney said. “I’m still amazed by him. The guy’s sitting at a table with everyone at nine in the morning, and he doesn’t throw a single dart.”

He recalled one old encounter that sums Anderson up. “Before the match, he hadn’t practised at all. We throw for the bull, and he nearly hits treble 13. I get to start, and he fires in five 180s in seven legs. His natural level is incredible.”

Van Barneveld knows the double-in, double-out format demands instant sharpness. “There’s huge pressure. If your opponent starts and you don’t, that leg’s basically gone. You’ve got to be on it straight away. Gary’s a fantastic player, but maybe I can take advantage of the fact he hasn’t been playing that often lately, while I’ve been busy. Hopefully that works in my favour.”

A win, though, would mean more than just a second-round spot. “It would be nice to finally win a first-round match at a major again,” he admitted. “It’s been a while — not at the Grand Prix, not at the Matchplay, not at the Worlds either.”

Away from the stage, Van Barneveld’s also got one eye on his position in the Order of Merit. Avoiding the early-season qualifiers is high on his list of priorities. “Once you’re safe in certain rankings, you can ease off a bit,” he said. “But I’m not in that position. You don’t want to be back in February playing qualifiers and dealing with setbacks all over again.”

He broke down the math with typical precision. “Each Euro Tour appearance earns you £2,000 in starting money. Win one match and it’s £3,500, win again and it’s £5,000. Every penny counts towards the rankings, so it keeps you in the mix — especially if you keep winning.”

The Dutch legend knows the next few weeks are vital. “I’ve got four Pro Tours and one Euro Tour left. I’m about £3,000 behind Rob Cross. He’s a bit up and down too, but I need to close that gap in five events.”

Van Barneveld remains one of the sport’s biggest names, and with that comes a strange side effect: opponents seem to raise their game against him.

“That’s how it is with everyone, but especially with me,” he said. “They know a good Van Barneveld is a real problem. The funny thing is, they almost always play their best game against me. I always expect that. You’re just as vulnerable yourself — just like Gary.”