“I really need to get that out of my head” – Callan Rydz discloses struggle with motivation for smaller tournaments

Callan Rydz advanced to the second round of the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship without any frills. The Englishman swept debutant Patrik Kovacs 3-0 in sets, though the scoreline masked that, for the two-time quarterfinalist, it was primarily about survival. At Alexandra Palace, Rydz wasn’t chasing averages or clean scoring, but keeping his nerves in check and simply getting the win.

“A bit of a scrappy affair between the pair of us, to be fair,” Rydz admitted afterwards to, among others, Dartsnews.com. “That was how I was practising as well. I’m just very fortunate to be through."

Before the match, Rydz already sensed it wouldn’t be a straightforward afternoon. The tension kicked in early. “I had butterflies from the moment I woke up,” he said. “That comes with this place. This isn’t a normal match.”

Kovacs tried to chat backstage to ease the tension, but Rydz kept his distance. “ He was trying to talk to us behind the stage, asking how I settle down," he smiled. "I’m not going to tell you how I settle down – I want to win. But listen, I don’t think the scoreline gives him the credit he deserves, because he did play OK.

On stage, Rydz looked uncertain at times, but he stood firm when it mattered. And that, he says, is exactly what counts at the Worlds. “This was purely about getting through. How you win doesn’t matter here.”

With two World Championship quarterfinals on his résumé, Rydz knows how erratic Ally Pally can be. Still, he refuses to look too far ahead. “You always want to do better than last time,” he acknowledged. “But this year it’s genuinely one match at a time. If I can win each one like this, I’d sign for it straight away.”

Alexandra Palace remains a special venue for Rydz. Although he rarely watches darts at home, he noticed the tournament still gets under his skin. “ I don’t watch a lot of darts when I’m at home. I’ve watched the first few sessions, though. Last week I was bed-bound ill for three days, so all I did was watch the darts. It’s not really like me, but it was good to get the feel of it again.”

The Worlds stir something he feels less elsewhere on tour. “You want to play well here. This is the place.”

Rydz speaks openly about the contrast between the Worlds and the rest of the season. Floor events and the Euro Tour take more out of him. “The ProTours are hard to get up for. I’m not a massive fan of the Euro Tours.”

He repeats that deliberately. “I’ve said it before. Sometimes you’re playing on a Friday afternoon in front of fifty people. I had bigger crowds at county darts back in the day.”

Still, Rydz realises that mindset can work against him. “But I need to get that out of my head, because the Euro Tours can get you into big events and make qualifying for this a lot easier than what I’ve done.”

Rydz knows his career is at a crossroads. The talent is there, but consistency sometimes isn’t. “Maybe I need to reassess how I approach everything,” he said. “I love to laugh and have a good time. On the Pro Tour I’m with lads like Luke Woodhouse, James Hurrell, and Jim Williams. We do everything together, eat together, support each other.”

But not every environment works the same way. “At some Euro Tours you’re on your own. That’s tough. Maybe I need to be more professional in how I handle those moments.”

The fact that Rydz often produces his best at the Worlds is no accident. He thrives on the noise and pressure. “If you can’t get up for this, what are you even doing in darts?” he wondered aloud. “This is the best place to play.”

Where smaller venues can irritate him with individual noises, Ally Pally’s wall of sound is liberating. “With a full house you don’t hear individual voices, just the noise. That helps.”

The build-up to the Worlds wasn’t ideal. Rydz was ill and still not at full strength. “I’m still not one hundred percent, but much better than last week,” he said. “Last Tuesday to Friday I barely ate anything, just drank water – I couldn’t stomach food. There was something going around.”

He is mainly relieved to have put that spell behind him. “Better last week than now.”

Rydz is surprisingly unconcerned about the rankings. “No, I don’t look at them. If I climb, great. If not, fine. I’m not in danger.”

He does know the Worlds can be life-changing. “You can really make strides here. But I don’t think about that too much. It doesn’t help me.”