“I’m like an old lion, but I don’t want to give up yet” – Raymond van Barneveld refuses to throw in the towel and shruggs off retirement claims

Raymond van Barneveld is in a phase of his career that he himself bluntly describes as difficult. The five-time world champion still enjoys playing darts, but notices that results on the PDC Tour are currently lagging.

In an interview with Online Darts in Swansea, the 58-year-old Dutchman spoke candidly about his struggles with form, health, and motivation — and about the question that’s being asked more and more: how long will he keep going?

“Since November I’ve been struggling,” Van Barneveld says. “I tried different set-ups and that’s not good for your brain or your concentration.”

Even so, his love for the game remains undiminished. “It’s fun, no stress. I love it. Good crowds. Yesterday I played really well against Gezzy [Gerwyn Price] and Joe Cullen, and tonight I’m playing Steven Bunting and Gezzy again. So here in Swansea it’s great."

The season started far from ideal for Van Barneveld. The Hague native still looks back at his last Worlds with mixed feelings. “I had a bad World Championship against Stefan Bellmont,” he admits. “Then I took some time off."

That break meant not only fewer matches, but also a lack of rhythm. “I did a couple of exhibitions and travelled to Thailand with Julia for two weeks on holiday. So I had almost no rhythm. Of course that’s dangerous when you start the Pro Tours."

And those tournaments are currently the biggest issue. “They start at one in the afternoon. I’m not a morning person,” Van Barneveld explains. “At one o’clock I’m not at my best physically because of my diabetes and everything. So I’m struggling on the Pro Tours."

The result: early exits and few ranking points. “I’ve dropped out of some European Tour spots as well. This year is going to be tough. I need to work harder and try to get myself back into the top 16 of the Pro Tour rankings."

Anyone checking the stats sometimes sees averages that don’t match the five-time world champion’s reputation. “When people see Raymond van Barneveld averaging in the 70s on the Pro Tour, they think that’s not the real Raymond,” he is reminded.

He puts that into perspective somewhat. “It doesn’t necessarily hurt. I was thinking that Owen Bates played really well, but that was the only game I won before that against a German player. I felt good going into the second game and suddenly it just didn’t happen."

According to Van Barneveld, part of the problem lies with his equipment. “I can throw every single dart, but it’s doing my head in at the moment. I need to stick to one set-up now. I’m playing with slim flights — Target Darts made me slim flights from Japan, like the K-Flex ones. I feel comfortable with them, so hopefully we’ll see what happens over the next couple of months."

Given his age and current results, questions about a potential farewell are becoming more frequent. Van Barneveld hears it regularly too. “You can’t really get an answer to that,” he says. “If you talk to players who are gone — like Ronnie Baxter, Colin Lloyd, Andy Hamilton, Kevin Painter — they can’t give you the right answer either."

He believes several factors play a part. “Sometimes it’s ageing, muscle memory, diabetes, travelling all the time, waking up early, flights, long taxi journeys. When you’re 58 you don’t do that as easily anymore compared to youngsters."

Yet Van Barneveld refuses to accept the end already. "They want to win. I’m like an old lion or an old tiger — leave me alone. They have the fire. At the moment the fire isn’t there for me,” he says with a smile. “I don’t want to give up yet.” He remains realistic, though. “But if this year is really bad, I can’t do another year.”

What many fans don’t see, according to Van Barneveld, is the mental toll of life on tour. “The worst moments are when you’re in a hotel in places like Leicester or Wigan, and you’ve lost in the first round two days running. You’ve left home for three or four days and there are no results. Those are the hardest moments and nobody sees that."

Then the doubts and overthinking start. “If you win one or two games, it’s fine. But now I’ve had four Pro Tours in a row without ranking points. That makes you think: do I still have it?"

The belief is still there, though. “Everyone says yes, and I still feel yes. But I need to find a way to get more energy in the mornings.” Van Barneveld also believes the rising standard plays a role in his struggles. “The standard nowadays is incredible. The weaker players don’t renew their Tour Cards anymore and better players are coming through.”

He names a few young talents who impress. “Charlie Manby, Beau Greaves and Arno Merk. They play like they’re not even facing a five-time world champion. They’re relentless and just play their own game.” Even a seasoned player can sometimes be taken aback by that. “Sometimes I think: wow, they just keep playing well.”

Despite everything, the World Championship at Alexandra Palace remains the main goal of the season. “Of course I want to make the Worlds,” says Van Barneveld. “It’s the best tournament in the world.” At the same time, he is honest about his recent results. “The last two years I’ve gone out in the first round. So you’re there at the World Championship, but if you lose first round it doesn’t really make sense. You want to make progress."

That’s why he mainly wants to make progress again. “I’ve won so many titles in my career, and now suddenly it’s not happening. You can’t even win a first round on the Pro Tour. That’s hard."

To get out of the slump, Van Barneveld is looking for ways to improve his physical and mental energy. “Maybe I need to go to the gym or something,” he says. “I need to find help — someone travelling with me, guiding me on things like that."

He insists it’s not down to his game. “I still know I can beat anyone in the world — even if it’s just in exhibitions sometimes. The problem is consistency. I might hit 180, 180 and then follow it with 59, 60, 40."

Despite his own struggles, Van Barneveld enjoys watching the new generation of Dutch darters. “I tipped Wessel two or three years ago when he first came through,” he says. “I’m so proud of him. He plays fantastic.” Gian van Veen is impressing too. “I don’t particularly like the look of his throw,” says Van Barneveld with a laugh. “but it works. He’s a fantastic double hitter and he’s been reaching finals lately.”

He believes the Netherlands has a bright future. “Even Michael sees it — Gian is playing so well that maybe they’ll play together at the World Cup. That would be a fantastic team."

Van Barneveld was also asked whether Danny Noppert might have deserved a Premier League spot. “A little bit, yes,” he says. “But the PDC also looks at entertainment.” That’s where he sees a difference. “Danny is a fantastic player but maybe not the most entertaining on stage. Sometimes players need to add something — like Peter Wright did years ago with his character. The crowd loved it."

Despite the disappointing results, Van Barneveld keeps training daily. “I'm working hard, travelling a lot and practising every day in my office in The Hague,” he says. “I travel a lot and work hard. Only no one sees that.” He knows a turnaround can come quickly. “There’s always tomorrow, and tomorrow can change everything. If you believe in yourself and keep working hard, it can come back. Maybe later this year we’ll have another conversation and say we struggled at the start of the year but things turned around," he concluded with a smile.