“I know I can beat anyone” – Tom Sykes believes ‘90% of the PDC’ are starting to recognise his threat

Tom Sykes has emphatically demonstrated over recent weeks that he has no intention of being merely a passing presence on the PDC circuit. The Englishman had already shown glimpses of his ability on the ProTour before making an outstanding European Tour debut, reaching the semi-finals at the Slovak Darts Open.

Sykes defeated Niko Springer, Martin Schindler, Cameron Menzies and Jermaine Wattimena before former world champion Rob Cross finally ended his breakthrough run. After proving that he can compete with established names on one of the PDC’s major stages, the 33-year-old believes his rivals are beginning to recognise the threat he poses.

Speaking to Online Darts during Operation Bullseye, an event pairing professional players with members of the Armed Forces, Sykes also reflected on returning to Bradmoor Farm. The venue has strong links to the Amateur Darts Circuit and provided familiar surroundings for a player who built much of his reputation outside the PDC.

“It was nice to walk back through,” said Sykes. “The stage looks good. I’ve never actually played on the stage, to be fair. It should be good.”

The main subject of the conversation was Sykes’ recent form. He had already produced promising performances on the floor, but his European Tour debut in Bratislava represented a significant step forward.

“Awesome. Everything that I thought it was going to be, to be fair,” he reflected. “I enjoyed every second of it, and to get to a semi-final on my debut is a really good feeling.”

The tournament also exposed Sykes to the physical demands of a deep European Tour run. Having played across all three days, the long final session and difficult conditions eventually began to take their toll. “The last day was so hot, so long. I think I ran out of steam in the end, but it was a good experience.”

Sykes earned his first PDC Tour Card at Q School in January, having previously established himself through Yorkshire county darts, the ADC and the MODUS Super Series. Although he had appeared as a reserve in several ProTour events before joining the circuit permanently, adapting to a complete season against elite opposition still required time.

“I played a few last year and I sort of knew what I was going into at the beginning of the year, but it takes a lot of getting used to playing against the best guys in the world every week,” he explained. “I feel like I’m adjusted now and I feel like I’m doing well.”

That growing comfort has reinforced the belief Sykes held before winning his Tour Card. “I said before I got my Tour Card, I know I’ve got the game to live with the best in the world and now I’m starting to prove it,” he said. “Hopefully I can continue to prove it and make them Ally Pally spots and the Players Championship Finals at the end of the year.”

Establishing himself inside the world’s top 64 and retaining his Tour Card after two seasons remains important, but Sykes does not want survival on the circuit to represent the limit of his ambitions.

“You’ve got to aim higher,” he insisted. “I feel like I’ve got the game to beat the best in the world when I’m playing well. I want to keep the Tour Card, I want to keep playing in the PDC and get on them big stages in the majors and stuff. That’s the goal.”

A World Championship debut at Alexandra Palace holds particular appeal. The 2026/27 tournament will move into the venue’s larger Great Hall, increasing the capacity for darts’ biggest event. “I’d love it. Especially now they’ve moved into the bigger room this year as well, so you get more people there on the nights and stuff,” said Sykes. “It should be good, obviously, if I can get there.”

His sights are not restricted to simply qualifying for televised tournaments. Asked whether he believes he can eventually win a major PDC title, Sykes was unequivocal. “Yeah, 100 per cent. I know my doubling’s never the greatest sometimes, but if it all clicks at once, I’m a scary player to play against,” he said. “I know I can beat anyone. And I think 90 per cent of the PDC are starting to see that I can as well.”

The recognition generated by his European Tour run is welcome, but Sykes knows that one exceptional weekend will not permanently establish him among the PDC’s leading players. “I can’t just do a semi-final last week and then end up averaging 70 and getting beat first round next week,” he admitted. “We’ve just got to keep the consistency going and then we’ll see what happens.”

Sykes credits the strength of the Yorkshire darts scene with helping to prepare him for the demands of professional competition. Before earning his Tour Card, he had access to competitive tournaments throughout the week against some of the county’s strongest players.

“You’re playing against the best in Yorkshire every week at tournaments, and it is every week,” he explained. “I can go out in Yorkshire and play every night of the week if I wanted to.”

The emergence of ADC Vault competitions has since altered that landscape. Sykes believes their popularity has created valuable individual opportunities, although some traditional leagues have inevitably felt the effects.

“The Monday night league is going quite strong around where I am, but there’s a few leagues near me where they’re dying off a little bit because of the Vaults,” he said. “People would rather go and play them, which I can see why, because it brings you to places like this.”

That grounding in one of England’s strongest darts regions has proved valuable now that Sykes is competing against world-class opposition every week. His attention is firmly fixed on improving his consistency, producing further deep ProTour runs and qualifying for additional European Tour events.

The principal targets remain the Players Championship Finals in Minehead and a World Championship debut at Alexandra Palace. His semi-final in Bratislava has already shown that those ambitions extend well beyond simply making up the numbers.