"I found my love for the game again” – Bradley Brooks credits year away from PDC for stunning return to form

Bradley Brooks has long been noted as a potential star of the future. It's not been until very recently though, that 'Bam Bam' has started to make a real breakthrough in the PDC though, as shown by his first ever title at Players Championship 21 earlier this week.

A former PDC World Youth Champion and a multiple-time title winner on the Development Tour, Brooks initially had a Tour Card between 2016 and 2023. Having dropped off the Pro Tour at the end of 2023 though, the Englishman was able to hone his craft away from the pressures of the PDC for a year, and has since come back a player reborn in 2025.

"Best I’ve ever felt on the oche, honestly," he assesses of his current level in conversation with TalkSport Darts, crediting that year away from the Pro Tour as the spark he needed. "I used to put too much pressure on myself and let things get to me. Nothing flusters me now. Having that year off helped massively. Playing the ADC and the Modus Super Series, meeting new people, I found the love for the game again. That made all the difference."

Still only 25, time is on Brooks side. But so bad was his feeling towards the sport after losing his Tour Card at the end of 2023, he admits he thought about packing it in. "I was close. I lost my card after being in the World Championship spots all year, then dropped out on the last event. Went to Q-School, got battered. I wasn’t enjoying darts – wasn’t enjoying anything, to be honest," he explains honestly.

"There was a time I was supposed to go to an ADC event in Middlesbrough and I just didn’t want to. My manager joked around, had a couple of beers, and later that night he said, 'You should’ve gone,'” Brooks recalls. "He ended up sending me a full calendar after that, and I went up to Middlesbrough the next time and won it. That felt like a turning point."

"I’ve got a great support system around me – family, friends, my partner. That means the world," he adds. "Darts is a solo sport, but I feel like I’m at my best when I’ve got the people I care about behind me. I’ve got that in abundance now, and I’m grateful."

And as mentioned, that's showing on the board now too, with Brooks becoming one of the youngest ever first time title winners in PDC history in Leicester earlier this week. "I fancied myself to win, but I think the moment it became real was when I beat Josh Rock in the quarters. In my opinion, Josh is one of the best players in the world right now. I won 6–1, and I thought, 'Keep this up for two more games and you’ve got this.' That’s when I really believed," he reflects.

In the final, former world champion and world number one Gerwyn Price was then dispatched as Brooks took his breakthrough title win. "He just shook my hand and said, 'Well done, mate.' That was it," Brooks remembers of the Welshman's reaction to defeat. "I think he was frustrated with the last leg – he probably should’ve won it and made me throw for the match. But a handshake and a 'well done' was enough. That’s what matters."

Brooks is still waiting to celebrate properly with the £15,000 prize money though. "You just get an email saying it'll be in within two or three working days. Still waiting. But yeah, I think I’ll treat myself when it lands," he smiles.