"I think he’s always looking a bit vulnerable" - Former pro sounds alarm for Damon Heta after sudden dip in form

Damon Heta is making his seventh appearance at the PDC World Darts Championship this year. His best result dates back to 2024, when he managed to reach the last 16. Judging by his results this year at the major tournaments, however, the Australian is not expected to match, or even improve on, that this year.

Accordingly, former pro Matthew Edgar sees a worrisome downward slide with The Heat. According to Edgar, Heta seems 'vulnerable' these days once he steps onto the big stage. Mainly the opponents the Australian is currently losing to worries him.

“Damon seems to be struggling, out again first round in the Players Championship Finals," he stated in the Mission Darts podcast. Edgar outlines how quickly his slump has come about. "When we looked at the Premier League selection for last year, there was a genuine chance Damon Heta could have gone in the top four of the world. He’s now 16th. The thing that Damon Heta has always lacked throughout his career is that one big payday."

Although Heta competed at the top for years with solid results on the Euro Tour and ProTour, he never really managed to convince at the televised tournaments, boosting his spot in the world rankings. "He was always competitive, he was doing well on the Euros, well on the ProTour, but didn’t have that run to the semifinal of the World Championship. He’s always missed that deep run. The problem is now, he’s starting to lose early. And not only is he losing early, but he’s losing early to people well down," he contined.

The most recent example came during the Players Championship Finals, where he surprisingly lost to rookie Justin Hood. “Damon Heta had imagined he’d be a massive favourite for that game, and he lost that match." According to Edgar, there is serious work to be done for 'The Heat' now, though. "We’ve seen people struggling in the past. Ian White, Mark Walsh. There’s been loads of players that have followed this same category.”

The Australian begins his World Championship campaign on Friday, Dec. 12, where a meeting with Steve Lennon awaits him in the first round. According to Edgar, Heta will still survive this first hurdle, but he has his doubts about the rest of his tournament. "I think Damon will get through it. But how far does he go in this tournament? I think he’s always looking a bit vulnerable,” he concluded.