"I went from really caring to turning up and just playing and hoping for the best" - Tavis Dudeney on the mental switch that earned him his World Championship debut

The second year as a Tour Card holder is decisive for many players. The novelty has worn off, opponents know your game, and the pressure to keep your place is palpable at every ProTour weekend.

For Tavis Dudeney, that was perhaps even more true than average. After a difficult middle stretch of his debut year on the PDC Tour, the Englishman rediscovered his confidence toward the end of the season – with the absolute highlight being qualification for the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace.

In conversation with Tungsten Tales, Dudeney looks back on a year that was educational, sometimes painful, but ultimately hopeful.

“The back end of the year was a big sort of boost in confidence, ready for the start of this year and hopefully for the whole year as well,” says Dudeney. “There’s a lot of work to do if I want to keep my tour card, but you know, just going to see how it goes and hope for the best.”

Those words sound optimistic, but the reality is that his first year as a Tour Card holder was anything but straightforward. “From where I was at the start of last year to the end of last year was good,” he reflects. “But the middle bit was the issue.”

That period was marked by uncertainty and change. “There was a lot of changing things and a lot of confidence dropped as well.” The consequences showed up quickly in the numbers: where he had previously lost matches while still averaging well, his level visibly dropped. “I was going from losing games with high 80s to mid-90s to then losing games with low 80s to high 70s. That can’t be happening. Something has to change there, 100%.”

The move to the ProTour circuit is a culture shock for many players. Dudeney, who in the preceding years was used to winning regularly, noticed the difference quickly. “There’s a lot of high-class, top-quality darts players,” he says.

At the start of the year it still felt familiar. “I think I won quite a few games at the start of the year, so it kind of still felt the same.” But once defeats became more frequent, it became mentally tough. “When I started losing — and I was losing well a lot of the time — it was really hard to take, because I was kind of thinking, ‘What am I doing wrong?’”

That led to changes — and eventually to a dip in form. “That’s where the changing came into it, and then the drop in form happened.”

Remarkably, the turnaround didn’t come from analysing more or pushing harder, but from letting go. “I’m not too sure, really,” Dudeney admits. “I think I kind of had such a mindset that I just didn’t care.”

That shift proved crucial. “I sort of went from really caring about wanting to win and do well to just literally turning up and just playing and hoping for the best.” The result was freedom. “I was so much more relaxed. I wasn’t putting the amount of pressure on myself like I was during the year.”

Dudeney carried that mindset into World Championship qualifying — a day where everything is on the line. “I literally rocked up and I was just like, ‘You know, if it happens, it happens.’”

Even when he found himself 6–1 down in his opening match, the calm remained. “It was like, ‘Okay, that’s a decent one, nice one.’” But then something changed. “Something clicked, and I just felt like I’d got the fire back in me that I’d been needing for the last sort of six months.” That fire carried him through. “It just drove me to not give up, really.” By the end of the day, he was heading to Alexandra Palace.

Playing at the World Championship for the first time is unforgettable. For Dudeney, it exceeded expectations. “It was incredible. I can’t really put it into words.”

There was one surprise, though. “I was surprised at how the venue is. I thought it would be a lot deeper. I thought it would be so much bigger because of watching it on TV for so many years.” During practice he took it all in. “I sort of looked out to the seats and thought to myself, ‘It’s tiny.’”

Once the crowd arrived, however, everything changed. “The experience with the crowd and everything was immense,” he says. “It’s definitely something that will stay with me forever.”

In the first round, Dudeney faced Brendan Dolan and produced an encouraging performance. “The only thing that sort of let me down in that game was the doubles. The scoring was fine.”

Ironically, that’s usually his strength. “Usually it’s the other way around. Usually my scoring isn’t too great sometimes, but my doubles are normally pretty decent.” This time, it simply wasn’t to be.

Still, pride remains. “Brendan’s experience definitely gave him that extra boost,” he admits. “It showed how he’s been at the level that he has been for so many years now. But no, I’m happy with my performance.”

The taste of the big stage has only fuelled his hunger. “I love playing on stages,” Dudeney says. “Even just when I’m playing county, I love being on the stage. I love being in front of everyone.”

For him, it’s about more than results. “I just want to put on a bit of a show. I want to play well.” Above all, at Alexandra Palace, there was one priority. “I didn’t want to make myself look silly or anything whilst I was up there.”

Looking ahead, Dudeney’s ambitions are clear but grounded. “I’d like to try and qualify for some EuroTours. I didn’t manage to do that last year.”

The motivation goes beyond rankings. “It’s not just because of the ranking money,” he explains. “It’s just to experience new countries, to actually travel a little bit.” So far, most of his time has been spent in familiar places. “I’m only ever used to going to Germany and now obviously Holland.”

Ultimately, the focus remains on retaining his place on tour. “Hopefully I can string a bit of form together,” Dudeney says. “It only takes a couple of little runs to be able to boost the prize money.” The belief is there. “I’m hoping the back end of last year has given me that confidence to really try and do some damage this year.”