“I was playing like an idiot” – Martin Schindler digs deep to spark wild Sindelfingen scenes

Martin Schindler battled through to finals day at the European Darts Grand Prix 2026 in Sindelfingen with a hard-fought 6-5 win over Damon Heta.

The German number one admitted afterwards that the victory owed more to determination than fluency, as he reflected on an emotional evening, his current struggles for form, and the challenge that lies ahead.

“I think it was a good and important workmanlike win for me,” Schindler said in an exclusive interview with Dartsnews.com. “I was really happy to come through that match because, as I said on stage, after the first four legs it could easily have been 4-0 against me. Instead, it was 2-2.”

Schindler benefited from mistakes early on but struggled to find any real rhythm himself. “I took advantage of his mistakes, that’s just how the game goes sometimes,” he explained. “I don’t know why, but at the moment things aren’t coming easily to me. I’m making a lot of mistakes. Why? I have no idea.”

That made his response in the latter stages all the more important. “Today was just a workmanlike win, a win from the heart. At one point I really dug in and told myself: no, no – I absolutely don’t want to lose this game, even if I’m playing like an idiot,” he said. “I knew I wasn’t playing well, but I fought for it. And once that first dart started to land, things got a bit easier.”

The intensity inside the Glaspalast also played its part in a chaotic moment during the match, when Schindler had to step in to correct a scoring error mid-leg. “I think because the fans were so loud the whole time, it didn’t make things easier,” he said with a smile. “I hit 30, it was first scored as 40, then I signalled with my fingers for 30 and suddenly it was 43. The caller said something and it went back to starting with a four again.”

He added with a laugh: “I had to walk up and say no, it was 30 points. If it wasn’t so loud, I’d have written it myself.”

Schindler also revealed he is still adjusting his equipment after making changes earlier this season. “I’m using my G2 darts from Bulls now. Before that I had the G3 – the shape of the barrel is the same, but the grip is different,” he explained. “I’ve also gone back to cone-shaped points to try and get some of my old scoring power back, more 180s and 140s. But for that you need the first dart, and today I didn’t always have that.”

Having recently slipped out of the world’s top 16, Schindler was honest in his assessment of where his game stands. “To be honest, that doesn’t matter at all right now,” he said. “Of course it’s nice to be in the top 16, but it only means something if you’re playing consistently well. And I have to be honest with myself – that hasn’t been the case this year.”

Even so, he remains optimistic. “I just have to grind through this period,” he said. “There are some good signs in there. If I can reproduce that over a full match, then the top 16 isn’t an issue. I was only just above the cut anyway. It is what it is. I’m focusing on tomorrow – everything else doesn’t matter.”

Next up is a tough test against Jonny Clayton, who got the better of Schindler multiple times last season. “If I play Jonny tomorrow, there are definitely a few things to settle from last year,” Schindler said.

Still, his focus remains firmly internal. “I don’t worry too much about who I’m playing. I need to focus on my own game – that’s what matters.”

He is under no illusions about the challenge ahead. “Jonny is playing very, very well, everyone has seen that this year. He’s the best Premier League player. I’m definitely the underdog at the moment,” he admitted. “But I know if I find my scoring, find my doubles – and just switch my head off a bit – then I’ve got a chance.”

Schindler now heads into finals day with momentum built on resilience rather than rhythm, but with belief that his level can still rise.