Jonny Clayton might have reached the last 16 of the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship on Friday afternoon at the Alexandra Palace, surviving a Daryl Gurney fightback to progress 4-3. But afterwards, the Welshman was open and honest about his uncertain future in the sport.
"I don't make it easy for myself, I keep everyone on the edge of their seats. It's great to get over the line, I somehow hit the double four to win so I'm a happy man," Clayton joked in conversation with the assembled darting media in his post-match press conference afterwards. "Daryl is a gentleman, he wears his heart on his sleeve and he was unlucky not to beat me. I got a bit of luck today but I've now got to make the most of this opportunity."
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Now aged 50, Clayton is extra keen to make the most of this opportunity as he doesn't know how many more he has left. "I don't think I've got much left in darts, whereas these youngsters, they've got a long time left," admits the Welshman honestly. "So I'm trying to do as good as I can now because my time is running out."
That's not to say that Clayton doesn't still back himself though. "If you can relax up there and throw your best darts, you've got a chance, no matter what your age is," he adds firmly. "If you don't produce your best, things get difficult. My best darts are not there at the moment."
After being arguably the best player on the planet during his peak of 2021, Clayton has struggled to replicate that kind of form over the last couple of years, with a big reason for that being some heartache away from the oche after the passing of his father.
"It [his career ed.] was over. I had no interest, I didn't want to play the game, I didn't want to travel. It meant nothing to me," he explains. "It's my hobby at the end of the day. Some of these youngsters are coming through and it's their job. Losing my dad, I don't want to keep going on about it, but that hurt. He was my inspiration to keep playing darts. So I said 'that's it, I don't want to do it any more'. But when you've got family that are looking up to you and friends that believe in you, it means a lot and I thought I'd give it a chance."
In the last 16, a showdown with his Welsh World Cup of Darts winning pairs partner Gerwyn Price awaits for Clayton.