"I don't get upset" – Gary Anderson plays down potential needle after no handshake with Raymond van Barneveld at World Grand Prix

Gary Anderson insisted there were no hard feelings after a tense and, at times, frosty battle with Raymond van Barneveld at the 2025 World Grand Prix — despite the pair turning their backs on one another at the end of a gripping last-leg decider in Leicester. Afterwards, Anderson spoke to Dartsnews.com among other outlets in his post-match press conference.

The two darting greats, with seven world titles between them, produced a typically tight and tactical contest in Leicester on Monday night. Anderson emerged a 2–1 winner to book his place in round two, but it wasn’t without needle. There was no handshake when the final dart found double 4, the Scot instead walking away as Van Barneveld gathered his darts in silence — a rare sight between two of the sport’s longest-serving professionals.

When asked about the apparent tension, Anderson brushed it off in typically dry fashion. “No, I don’t get upset,” he said with a shrug. “Maybe once or twice in nine months, but not tonight. I was fine. When I won? Yeah, I was over the moon. Buy yourself a fishing rod for Christmas.”

That line summed up Anderson’s mood — calm, sarcastic, and ever-so-slightly prickly. But his darts spoke louder than anything else. He averaged 90.06 to Van Barneveld’s 86.22, landing two 180s, a 115 checkout, and crucially, holding his nerve in the deciding leg after a match that saw both men hovering around the 54% mark on doubles.

It was a contest that could have gone either way. Anderson started brightly, punishing Van Barneveld’s missed doubles to take the opening set 3–1, punctuated by that 115 finish. But the Dutchman roared back, taking the second 3–1 of his own and closing it with a superb 109 checkout to force the decider.

The final set turned into a battle of nerve and experience, each holding throw until Anderson, ever the big-moment player, found double 4 to seal victory — before the pair’s awkward parting added an unexpected edge to proceedings.

Anderson admitted afterwards that while his game is in decent shape on the floor, he’s still trying to translate that form onto the TV stage. “If I’d figured that out a long time ago, I’d have done it by now,” he joked. “I love the Pro Tours — love the travelling, the laughs, the people. But the TV tournaments over the last few years haven’t been too good. Nothing to worry about though.”

The two-time world champion has often spoken of his affection for the Players Championship circuit — and his distaste for the double-start format of the Grand Prix, which he confessed still feels alien after three decades at the top.

“I can barely end a game on a double, never mind start one on a double,” he laughed. “Out of 31 years playing darts, this is the only event I’ve ever had to do it. Even down in Somerset where my lad Tai plays, I’ve never done double-start. I probably hated it if I did!”

Despite his self-deprecating humour, Anderson’s win showed plenty of the steel that once made him the sport’s most feared finisher. His checkout percentage of 53.8% — slightly down on Van Barneveld’s 54.5%, but over more attempts — proved decisive when it mattered.

He’ll now face Joe Cullen in round two, another former Masters champion rediscovering form, and Anderson knows the road doesn’t get any easier. “Joe played well tonight,” he said. “He’s been struggling for a bit, but he came good. Played really well.”

And yet, the 53-year-old’s enduring enthusiasm for the game remains undimmed — even as he jokes about his age. “I just love playing darts,” he said. “It’s in my blood. Some days I play like I’m in my twenties, others I play like I’m ninety! That’s just the way it is. But I still enjoy it.”

Anderson also touched on the sport’s financial boom, with next year’s World Championship winner set to take home £1 million. “A million quid — that’s massive, isn’t it? There’ll be players thinking, ‘I’ll win that and I’m done.’ But it’s great for the game. Everywhere I go now, it’s kid after kid playing darts, and that’s fantastic. Though for you lot, picking winners in ten years’ time will be a nightmare.”

Whether Anderson himself will be one of those winners remains to be seen, but his performance in Leicester was a reminder that he’s still capable of conjuring brilliance when it counts — even if the smiles were in short supply at the end. “I don’t get upset,” he repeated. “You throw darts, you play the game, you get beat, shake hands, and move on. Simple as that.”

There was no handshake this time, but Anderson won’t lose sleep over it. He’s already looking ahead to the next round — fishing rod jokes and all.