"I am a bit of a daft lad": Callan Rydz embraces 'unstable' tag given by Dimitri van den Bergh at PDC World Darts Championship

Callan Rydz embraces the nutcase persona saying that the image that was given to him by Dimitri van den Bergh during the PDC World Darts Championship both gave him fire in his belly and also is true.

Rydz was called 'unstable' by Van den Bergh before taking him out of the PDC World Darts Championship as he lost to Michael van Gerwen in the Quarter-Finals.

‘His manager spoke to us the day after we played and the way Dimi was trying to word it was more about my darts,’ Rydz told Metro.

‘I am unstable normally, like. I kind of gathered what he meant, but I think it was fire in the belly.

‘He’s right, I am unstable, I am a bit of a daft lad, but I don’t know if he was trying to do it as friendly banter, because we are friends, but it ended up being fire in the belly that I needed.’

He went further into it talking about his upbringing as well as having a metal plate in his foot from breaking it on BMX.

‘It’s just me friends, they call us a nutcase because I’m not really bothered, like,’ he said. ‘I’ve always been the class clown, you could say.

‘In school I was…not an idiot, but the one doing the pranks, the stupid things. For me it’s having a laugh, if you have a laugh you’re always going to have a good time.

‘I still play football with my friends and we’re not trying to hurt each other but we love absolutely snapping into each other. It’s good. It’s the stuff that I love. I used to be a nutcase on BMXs, trying stupid things, had so many injuries, but it’s just things I loved to do as a kid and it stuck.

‘In lockdown I went back on my bike and snapped my foot. It’s my own fault, but I wouldn’t change it. If I could I would go on my bike again but that injury told me I couldn’t do it anymore. I tried to do a trick into a ramp and I just fell off, my foot went under my bike and snapped five bones in my foot. Metal plate in my foot now. It’s just one of them.’

But also there are parts of him amid the success now that wanted to quit the sport. He said that he is lazy and it is something he wants to improve but that there were facets of the game that didn't help him.

‘I did! In parts I didn’t want to do it anymore,’ he said. ‘I’ve played darts more than half my life now, not professionally, but round here, Bedlington, County for Northumberland. I’ve had me laughs but now it’s serious.

‘I would just say I wasn’t happy with the travelling. I know it’s not really an excuse and every dart player has to travel, but I just couldn’t be bothered. I was waking up the morning of Pro Tour events and just didn’t want to go. European events, travelling all day, it’s a nightmare but you’ve got to put up with it.

‘I’m quite a lazy practicer, I hate practicing on my own, I hate doing it. When I’m out the house and I’ve got someone to practice with I can do four hours a day, but at home I don’t find it good.’

All of this though goes towards the end goal of becoming World Champion in his mind. ‘World champion is every darts player’s dream. If you ever play darts competitively, that’s all you want to be,’ he said.

‘If I was ever to win one TV event, let it be the Worlds, anyone can call me a one hit wonder, if I’ve got that star on my shirt then I don’t give a monkey’s. Obviously it’s the hardest one to win but I know if I’m playing well I can beat anyone.’