"I'm not completely downhearted" - Wessel Nijman realistic after exit at World Darts Championship

Wessel Nijman could not stand up to Joe Cullen in the second round of the World Darts Championship on Sunday afternoon. For many people, Nijman was the favorite prior to the match, but 'The Rockstar' was too strong 3-0 in sets.

''To my mind not even played a very bad match,'' Nijman told NOS during the press conference in an initial reaction. Both 98 I heard, in itself a fine match. In the legs he wins I got no room to get in. Too bad,'' Nijman spoke.

Nijman was remarkably upbeat in his press talk. ''I'm not completely downhearted by it, not at all. The luck is falling the other way now and maybe next time it will fall my way. He takes the chances just a little bit more than I do, so he deservedly won.''

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Leading up to this tournament, there were huge expectations of Nijman. At one point the betting shops even had Nijman as the fifth favorite for the world title. According to him, this did not put any extra pressure on his shoulders. ''I try to put that aside very easily anyway. I'm level-headed enough for that. I don't think I would have approached this match differently without expectations.''