"I just laugh at it, that’s all I do": Josh Rock doesn't listen to hype amid recent superb form

Josh Rock continued his strong run at the 2025 World Series of Darts Finals with a 6-3 victory over Krzysztof Ratajski, despite a few hiccups on the doubles.

But Rock managed to complete the feat when it mattered the most. He hit a superb 121 checkout on the bull to complete the win. He now faces the winner of Stephen Bunting v Danny Noppert. They also sit in the same section as Mike de Decker and Damon Heta. De Decker saw off Gabriel Clemens earlier tonight at the World Series of Darts Finals 6-3.

“I don't know. I thought whenever I went 2-0 up, obviously he missed the darts and I had a 10-dart leg—I was like, ‘Oh, happy days!’ And then I came in off the boiler bat,” Rock said to Online Darts. “The doubles felt good, they just weren’t wanting to go in, but I thought I played alright.”

The Northern Irishman’s form has been eye-catching in recent months, following his impressive Euro Tour performances where he defeated Michael van Gerwen then pushed World No.1 Luke Humphries to the brink.

“Yeah, I’m here to play darts. I’m just going to try my best. Obviously, I know what I can do, so the more I keep posting, the longer I’ll be in the tournaments. As long as I keep doing it, I’m happy enough,” he added.

Rock credited his World Cup experience with giving him the winning mentality needed on stage. “Oh yeah, massively. Obviously, it’s proven the way it is. It must be a World Cup thing—that Jonny Clayton’s done it, Gezzy’s done it, and all that. So yeah, I think it works.”

Looking ahead, Rock remains confident about his chances of claiming a singles TV title. "Well, I don’t know. If I play my game, yes. If I don’t, then no. So I believe I can, but if I do, it’s a different story,” he said.

Social media hype around Rock has been intense, with many predicting big things for him next year. But the 23-year-old is taking it in his stride. “I just laugh at it. That’s all I do,” he said.

Rock’s win over Ratajski marked his 10th victory in 12 career meetings against the Pole. “As you know that, I’ve never played Krzysztof 12 times. I’ve won 10 times, so that’s not a bad record to have. Obviously, me being a kind of ribbon thrower and Krzysztof being a more firm thrower, he just gets on with it. That’s not a bad record to have,” Rock said.

Having already claimed his first PDC ranking stage title in the Netherlands on the European Tour, Rock says returning to Holland holds a special significance. "Most do, because I didn’t get beat tonight, and obviously I won my first stage title. But I’d had a lot more experience before that when I won that stage title, so I like coming back to Holland for all those hours,” he explained.

Rock is also making his World Series Finals debut this weekend, leaving only one PDC primary event still on his bucket list, the Premier League. “That’s not up to me, but I’m going to try my best to get into that obviously. We’ll see what happens,” he said.