"He certainly didn't blame me" - Gian van Veen reveals message from Luke Littler after inadvertently denying rival a spot at the Grand Slam of Darts

Gian van Veen almost provided a huge surprise at the European Championship recently. He eventually went down in the semifinals against James Wade.

Van Veen had earlier eliminated Michael van Gerwen in the quarterfinals. Afterwards, Van Gerwen was furious because he could not get hold of the tournament director. "I obviously noticed during the match that Michael was not happy," Van Veen said on the podcast "Double Top. "I asked him during the break if I had anything to do with it, but he indicated that there was nothing I could do about it. Then I also told him I didn't need to know the reason. I just focused on my own performance. In fact, Michael himself indicated that he was angry with himself for letting himself get so out of concentration."

In the semifinals, Van Veen held a 5-1 lead against Wade. "That surprised me tremendously. After all, I knew beforehand that it would be a very difficult match. I was just on. Reaching semifinals at a major for the first time is obviously fun, but it also took a lot of energy out of me, especially with all the accompanying media obligations. That's something I need to learn to deal with better in the future anyway. But don't forget it's only my first year on the Pro Tour, especially in situations like that you notice that inexperience."

Provided Van Veen had reached the final, Luke Littler would also have been allowed to participate in the Grand Slam of Darts after all. "I noticed afterwards that he had sent me a message before the match against Wade. It's obviously unfortunate for Luke, but he certainly didn't blame me for anything. We also get along quite well, he is always very friendly when we play against each other. The final of the World Youth Championship is bound to be a great match."

Van Veen obviously looks back on his first year on the Pro Tour with satisfaction. "Better than this I had not dared to dream. The semifinal at the European Championship was obviously the highlight, but there are two more great tournaments in the coming weeks with the Players Championship Finals and the World Championship. So I hope to top that performance.