"I couldn’t compete, I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t stand": Wayne Mardle on sudden illness that ended Premier League Darts campaign and his career

Wayne Mardle has opened up about how a sudden illness derailed his Premier League campaign in 2009 and led to the beginning of the end of his playing career.

Mardle has gone on to forge successful roles in punditry, commentary and coaching since his retirement. He is known for his energy on-camera and the insight he brings while working for television, but 'Hawaii 501' admitted how difficult things were near the end of his playing days.

After reaching the semi-final of the PDC World Championship in 2008, Mardle was one of the hottest players on planet darts. It was during the 2009 edition of the Premier League, however, when he started to notice something wasn't right. "I couldn’t compete, I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t stand, I couldn’t play,” he recalled to the Daily Star. “It was actually Phil (Taylor) who alerted me to the fact I wasn’t well while we were in Glasgow for a Premier League night.

“We were in the practice room and Phil said ‘are you OK? It’s not like you, you’ve gone really quiet’. I said ‘yeah, I don’t feel great’. That was on a Thursday and I didn’t play for the following few weeks. It was a virus that just wouldn’t go. For months, I didn’t pick up a dart. That was an awful time."

Slide down the rankings

It turned out to be a case of mumps for Mardle, which kept him out for months. He eventually had to withdraw from that year's weekly roadshow and couldn't protect his ranking in other events.

“It was about 18 months,” he added. “I contracted mumps when I was world number five or six. From there, I went on a slide.

“I was quite an aggressive player, I had an energy. My wife is still of the opinion that that changed me forever. I became quite timid after that, I didn’t enjoy it. I didn’t have the fight or will to win and that’s what my game was based on.”