"He's got the bottle, he's got the composure, he's got the game!" - Wayne Mardle backs Mike De Decker for continued success after Grand Prix heroics

Mike De Decker won the World Grand Prix last Sunday by defeating Luke Humphries 6-4 in the final. On Sky Sports, ex-pro turned expert analyst Wayne Mardle looked back on the 28-year-old Belgian's first major title. Mardle predicts a great future for De Decker, who he says has everything he needs to make it at the top.

Mardle especially sees Decker's match in the second round as a tipping point. "The Gary Anderson game proved something to himself because he actually said 'I thought Gary was going to beat me'. He absolutely railroaded him. He was better than Gary and he was better than Luke Humphries in a game that went to 45 legs of darts," Hawaii 501 explains. "He's got the bottle, he's got the composure, he's got the game!"

Decker came to the World Grand Prix with little experience in the majors, but Mardle saw that it was no obstacle on his way to success. "If you're good enough then experience doesn't matter. He had no experience in quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals but he was good enough," Mardle assesses warmly. "I'm so pleased for him. It's another new winner and there are players on the tour thinking 'Mike De Decker has won a major. I maybe beat him last week, why can't I win a major? Well, you've got to do it when it counts and this is when it counts."

Given the fact that De Decker started the tournament as a 150-1 outsider with some bookmakers, Mardle also noted how this win continues to prove the incredible strength in depth in today's game and in the strong field of participants at the 2024 World Grand Prix. "Astonishing from someone who came into this as an outsider but someone who has won on tour. There's 28 winners on tour in this event out of 32. They're all world-class. What a great story for darts as well."