"Went with a mate and he had to work again today, We’d agreed: if we lose, we drive straight home" – No celebrations for Nijman after the biggest title of his career

With his triumph at the European Darts Trophy last weekend, Wessel Nijman secured the biggest title of his career. In the podcast Darts Draait Door, the Dutchman looked back with Damian Vlottes and Vincent van der Voort on an exceptional weekend in which almost everything clicked.

The victory was not only down to form but also to a rare flow. “All Sunday I was basically only focused on myself,” Nijman said. “You don’t really notice much of what’s going on around you. It just went really well.”

The aftermath of the title was less glamorous. Nijman was soon back in the car heading for the Netherlands. “The night was a bit shorter than expected,” he said with a laugh. “I went with a mate and he had to work again today. We’d agreed: if we lose, we drive straight home. So that ended up being after the win as well. We were in bed around half past two.”

Strikingly, the tournament began far from ideal. In his opening match against Cristo Reyes, Nijman missed a raft of chances on the doubles. “What didn’t go well in the first match were the checkouts,” he admitted. “But for the rest of the weekend that was pretty much flawless. Especially the checkouts between sixty and a hundred. And those big finishes at the right moments.”

After that there was no stopping him. Opponent after opponent was convincingly beaten, often by clear scorelines and sky-high averages. Van der Voort saw it unfold: “After a few legs it was often already done. Even against Gerwyn Price you quickly saw there was nothing left in it for him. You feel that as an opponent.”

Precisely because Nijman kept racing into early leads, the tension never really surfaced — something he felt was crucial. “If you go well ahead early, you play the second half of the match more comfortably,” he explained. “You basically don’t give someone a chance to come back to 5-5. That makes it much easier for yourself.”

Still, there was one specific moment when Nijman began to believe in the title. “After my match against Gian van Veen I thought: this could be one of those days,” he said. “You feel you can go deep, maybe even win the tournament.”

The draw also helped. Big names fell away, opening up the path to the final. “With all due respect: when you see your side of the draw shaping up differently than expected, you feel you have a chance. After that match I really thought: this is a good opportunity.”

A special moment followed in the semifinal, where Nijman had to face his good friend Niels Zonneveld. “That’s never nice,” he admitted. “After the previous round we went to get something to eat together and we already said: if we both win, we have to play each other. That’s just not pleasant.”

The bond between them made the duel tricky for both, but little of that showed on stage. Nijman produced another phenomenal display and left few chances for his friend. Van der Voort was clear: “He was simply outclassed. Then you have to shake hands and say: you were better today.”

Strikingly, Nijman himself noticed little of any nerves from his opponent. “I actually never look at what the other guy is doing,” he said. “I look down and hear from the caller what’s happening. So I didn’t really pick up how he was feeling.”

Gerwyn Price awaited in the final, a player Nijman had also beaten recently in a Pro Tour final. That experience bred confidence. “That definitely helps,” he said. “And at the UK Open I didn’t throw a bad match against him either. Maybe we’ll trade wins. Then I’d rather win this one and he takes the other,” he said with a smile.

The title didn’t come out of nowhere. Nijman has been performing consistently at a high level for months, especially on the Pro Tour. Van der Voort: “He almost always reaches the quarterfinals. And then you see those averages this weekend: 112, 110, 106. That’s insanely good. Then everything adds up.” Even his tournament average gave a skewed picture, because that first match dragged the number down. After that, almost everything was well over 100.

Despite his first Euro Tour title, Nijman remains ambitious yet realistic. The victory is a milestone, but certainly not the endpoint. “It’s definitely been a goal to win a Euro Tour,” he said. “But the main goal is to reach the top 16. And take it from there.”

According to Van der Voort, it could happen quickly: “If he keeps producing these kinds of results, it could easily be after the summer already.” Nijman himself is a bit more cautious: “Before the end of the year would be nice. Towards the Worlds, that’s the goal.”