"If I could pick up say... five TV majors by the time I retire, then I'll be a happy man"- Ross Smith ready to defend his European Championship title

On Thursday, the European Championship gets underway in Dortmund. Ross Smith starts there as the defending champion.

Smith won his first major last year at the European Championship by defeating Michael Smith 11-8 in the final. "I'm looking forward to it, can't wait to come out to the crowd as reigning champion! Something I've never done or experiencd before," Smith said in conversation with Online Darts.

"I'd love to win another one. Defend the European title, win the World's etc but at the same time I also want to be in this game at least till I'm 50 years old," the Englishman laughed. "it's about longevity. If I could pick up say... five TV majors by the time I retire, then I'll be a happy man."

Smith is already looking forward with confidence to the important tournaments ahead in the coming weeks and months. "People don't realize as well, I've had a really tough year at home, mentally tough. it's all just starting to come together and I feel in a really positive place. It's just for me now, knuckle down and really push on for the rest of my career!"