"I ruined it in the end for not making it a win before the tiebreak": Dirk van Duijvenbode down on his own performance after Chris Dobey marathon

Dirk van Duijvenbode was down on his own display as he took down Chris Dobey but only just as 'The Titan' won in a 13-11 marathon on Sunday at the World Matchplay.

Van Duijvenbode played Chris Dobey only last week on the European Tour and so it was a familiar clash but one that he admitted was spooky as he spoke to his management who told him he was playing Dobey but wasn't sure which tournament.

He spoke to the media including DartsNews.com afterwards and as ever was candid about his own performance and how he felt heading into the tie-break.

"Well, before you get these match darts, my mental attitude was bad. Otherwise I would have just made it 10-7, I think, or 10-8. That leg that I was starting for the win, I had one treble, I think it's an 18 or 21-darter, but I was nowhere near either. So that was just annoying, and I was nowhere there mental-wise. I didn't believe in it anymore, but then he missed a dart," he said during a press conference with DartsNews.

"I was just like, I won't miss anymore, just don't give me chances, because I felt like he was the better player at the end. I felt like I was the better player through the game, but I didn't finish it off. And then we go into the tie-break and he missed it. I was like, "OK, don't give him a chance because I won't miss." And that's at the end what I did.

"And it's not being tough, not at all, because I wasn't so tough when I was 9-7 up. But in the end, I won, and I'm just happy with it."

Chiming as to why he didn't believe, he said that he was being a realist and there is a reason why he downed tools and didn't think he was going to win. "Yeah, because I didn't hit the treble. At some point, I'm a realistic guy, I wasn't playing good. So let's say I felt like I was the better player until 9-7, and after that, well, I won't name the words, but I was not good.

"And so the crowd got on it, you saw Chris being enthusiastic, and I was not enthusiastic at all, didn't believe in it. And then I think we had a 140, 180, and I was like, "OK, it's still there, and if he misses, I'll take it." And if he missed, then I took it."

Asked then how far he is from getting back to his true self, he admitted that in reality he isn't sure when or when that will be but that while he sees himself as his best yet, he also is struggling with certain facets.

"It's a very hard question, because I feel I'm better in practice, but my darts don't land in the board how they land in practice. So it's very hard.

"I feel like I'm capable to do at least the same level, I'm not saying the same results, but the same level as what I used to be, and I think I'm better at the moment than I was. The only thing is, I'm struggling with the way my darts land in the board.

"Because I'm a very good 180 hitter, but I'm not a very good aimer. So if my first dart is good, I can easily hit 140, 180, but if my first dart is in and it drops, or I can't go around, then it becomes aiming again for the second dart, third dart. Normally it's just aim, first dart, and then bang, bang. I can't find a way to do that. I tried a lot of things, and I think my set-up now is the best set-up I've ever had since this year. And I feel like I can play decent games again, but I don't feel I can hit my peaks like I used to."

He added that being in that victim role also means he gets in his own head and can't get out so has to try and shift his momentum. "It's been very frustrating, but at some point you have to accept it and deal with the situation."

"I've been in the victim role too long this year. Like last week, I spoke with Mike, we had dinner, we both won on the EuroTour, and we had a conversation about this. Sometimes you go in the victim role, and you have to go for the moment. In the end, it doesn't really matter. Because if you're bothered with something and your opponent isn't, there's always a winner. That's darts. I mean, there's no draws. If you don't like it, someone else likes it, and he wins.

"So get your head together. I think I found that thing in my head at the right time, but still I didn't play my best performance. But in the end I won, so I'm still happy with that."

He then touched upon playing Dobey and the fact that he also played him in Leverkusen which caused confusion his end. "The draw came out on Thursday. It's a funny story. My manager said, "You're playing Dobey." But I was like, "Yeah, on Saturday." So when he said, "You're playing Dobey," I was like, "Did my opponent pull out then?" He didn't.

"So he was talking about the Matchplay, but I was there in Leverkusen, and he was like, "You're playing Dobey." I thought I'm playing on Saturday, so I was like, "Oh, easy. I skipped the first round. I did it." It was about the Matchplay. And then I was like, "OK." So, that Saturday game is worth double, in my opinion."

"That can go both ways. I mean, it can also be that he thinks, "Playing him next week, put some extra top on my practice."

"But for me, it did make me more confident for this game. But in the end, it didn't really matter, because I think I ruined it in the end. I won in the end, at the very end. But I ruined it in the end for not making it a win before the tie-breaker."

While before Van Duijvenbode wasn't in majors, he now is but he as ever sees it differently that spots in the World Matchplay and World Grand Prix only soften blows down the line.

"Well, it depends, because I'm also defending a semi-final, quarter-final at the Europeans, and a Players Championship Finals. I'm not very certain for the Europeans yet. Last week was good, to get at least in it.

"But I always knew, OK, I did a good result two years ago. I didn't qualify for two, but the two I qualified for, I did well with a quarter and a semi. But I also saw, if I want to defend it, if I qualify for all of them, it's already defended almost. If you do well in one of the two events before the other events come, it could be big, but at this point I'm not qualified for all of them."

He also as ever admitted that Blackpool is not a favourite of his. He said that he's not a fan of the place so very Vincent van der Voort esque but gets why people like it.

"Oh, well, it's not my favourite. But it's a big one. Well, it's the second biggest one, but I mean, I like almost every other thing over this. But the venue is big, the seating is good and the crowd is very good, but it's not my favourite."

"At some point you feel like that, but it's not something that I'm generally in. I'm just going to say, I had some guests in, because I feel like everyone is against me here, because I'm playing an English guy, I'm playing someone from my management, so no-one from my management is neutral. And I got some guests in, and they pulled out this morning.

"And then I was like, "OK." I had a big shock, I'm happy, and I feel like, OK, there's no-one here either. So at some point that changed in my mind a bit, like no-one wants me to win, and then you feel like a bit in the victim role, which you shouldn't do, but I did. And then I got out of it, and in the end you win."