Gary Anderson leaves no doubt about his future plans. Even if he crowns himself world champion again in January, the two-time winner of the Sid Waddell Trophy will not take part in the Premier League Darts. The Scot sticks to his stance that the intense competition cannot be combined with his focus on the world rankings.
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The 55-year-old Anderson is currently in excellent form at the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace. In the last 16, he knocked out third seed Michael van Gerwen, a win that once again underlined his status as a mainstay on the biggest stage. Crowd favorite Justin Hood now awaits in the quarterfinals, while more and more pundits refuse to rule him out as a contender for the world title.
Even so, Anderson wants nothing to do with a Premier League return, not even if he would automatically qualify as world champion. Speaking to talkSPORT, the Scot was clear about his reasoning.
"No, no I'm quite happy, I need to concentrate on my rankings,” said Anderson. "If I done the Premier League, Europeans gone, Players Championship gone. I couldn't give a monkeys [if I'm world champion]. I can't do it, it's been great the years I've done it."
The Premier League Darts spans sixteen weeks and demands an intense travel schedule, something Anderson has criticized for years. Although he has enjoyed success in the competition before, with overall wins in 2011 and 2015, he doesn’t feel the need to reopen that chapter. "I can't do it for 16 weeks on the road then try to get back for them. I can't do it."
Even the prospect of making a unique choice as reigning world champion doesn’t seem to bother Anderson it seems. Should Anderson indeed lift the title, he would be the first reigning world champion in Premier League Darts history to turn down an invitation. His absence would be notable, especially given his status and the commercial pull of the competition, which also visits Scottish host cities.
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ANDERSON DUMPS OUT VAN GERWEN 🏴
Gary Anderson has knocked out Michael van Gerwen 4-1, with both players averaging over 99 in a high-quality affair!
📺 bit.ly/WC25-26Live#WCDarts | R4