"If it comes by, I might as well laugh about it": Jermaine Wattimena brushes off becoming viral on TikTok after interview
PDC
“I think I really had a match against James Wade the way he always plays, the way he can play,” analyzes Wattimena. “I made two fairly big mistakes in the match and that basically cost me the match a bit.”
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One moment in particular stuck with him. Wattimena left 140 and opted to go tops–tops for the finish, but threw both darts above the double. As a result, he was left with just one dart at a double on his next visit.
“I’m on 140, go for tops–tops and throw above it twice, which means I only get one dart at a double in the next turn. I don’t think I then split that double 19. And I naturally also threw the 76 via double 14 instead of double 8, double 16. That can still happen, but those other two things really shouldn’t happen.”
Van der Voort agreed with that assessment. The former pro emphasized that when going tops–tops, Wattimena really needs to land at least one dart inside the double. In that case 60 is left, while ideally tops is hit straight away.
“James takes every chance he gets”
According to Wattimena, those kinds of details made the difference against a player like Wade. The Englishman is known for ruthlessly punishing opponents’ mistakes.
“Other than that, the match was just like James Wade is: taking every chance he gets,” Wattimena continues. “I was never very far away from him, but that one little window I got each time still closed.”
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The defeat in Blackpool fits in some ways with Wattimena’s view of his first half of the season. His results are certainly not bad, but in terms of level he feels he too often lacks sustained top form. “There’s quite a bit of inconsistency in the matches if you look at the first half of the year. It’s not that I’d say it’s bad. It’s fairly steady, but the level can still be quite a bit better.”
Even so, Van der Voort clearly sees that Wattimena has taken big steps as a darts player. The Dutchman slipped back a few years ago after previously belonging to the world’s chasing pack, but has since worked his way back up. According to Van der Voort, Wattimena has even come back stronger than he was before his dip.
Wattimena partly recognizes that observation. The period around the coronavirus pandemic was particularly difficult for him. “I had a fantastic year in 2019, of course. Then you get that COVID period. Those were actually very tough years for me,” he says.
During that time his focus wasn’t solely on darts. Wattimena spent a lot of time on fitness and losing weight. He says that also affected his performances on the oche. “Back then I was very focused on working out. I spent more time on losing weight. You just notice that the level dropped a lot during that period.”
The turnaround came once tournaments were staged more regularly again. “When we started playing more tournaments consistently, it got better and better. I was barely practicing at all then.”
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Wattimena even reached the final of the 2024 European Championship.
Top 16 beckons for Wattimena
In the meantime, Wattimena has climbed to just outside the world’s top 16. That’s not only a fine confirmation of his comeback, but could also bring important competitive advantages. “That’s really the place you want to be, of course,” says Wattimena of the top 16. “It gives you a zone of security for the tournaments.”
A 16th place, however, can also have a possible downside. Due to seeding systems at major events, the No. 16 can run into the absolute world elite relatively early. Wattimena isn’t overly concerned.
“I know that. It’s like that at every tournament, but look: sooner or later you can run into Luke Littler anyway. Those matches also just have to be good. I proved last year that I can also put in a fine performance against him.”
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Van der Voort pointed out that Littler is particularly hard to beat at the moment. Wattimena acknowledges that, but doesn’t see it as a reason to fear a potential meeting. “I think everyone can beat him, but he is very, very good at the moment,” says Wattimena.
The Dutchman also believes there will naturally come a spell when opponents start finding answers to Littler’s dominance more often. “At some point it will come around again that people start beating him, I think.”
Wattimena can laugh about TikTok videos
Beyond his results on stage, Wattimena’s inadvertent popularity on social media also came up. A line from an earlier Viaplay interview — “What do you want to hear then?” — took on a life of its own online and is widely used on TikTok.
Wattimena himself hears surprisingly little about it. “I’m not really into it, so to speak.” When asked if he’d ever considered doing something with the popularity of the clips himself, he’s clear. “No, not really.”
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There’s a simple reason for that. “I’m not on TikTok at all. I’m only on Instagram, but not a lot pops up there. I see very little of it.”
If he does happen to come across it, Wattimena mainly has a laugh. “If it comes by, I might as well laugh about it. That makes it fun for people, of course, and they enjoy it. So yeah, it doesn’t really matter that much to me.”
Samuel GillChief Content Officer
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.
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