"Imagine if I didn’t win those three Euro Tours — I’d probably be at Q School… or a commentator like Glen": Nathan Aspinall honest on ranking drop

Nathan Aspinall kept his hopes of reaching the knockout stages of the 2025 Grand Slam of Darts alive with a battling 5–2 victory over Alex Spellman, bouncing back strongly after a frustrating opening-night defeat to Michael Smith.

The 2023 World Matchplay champion admitted that his finishing had been “out of character” in the loss to Smith, but despite more missed doubles against Spellman, he did enough to claim two crucial points and move into contention for qualification from Group C.

“Obviously, the Michael game — I should have won 5–0,” Aspinall reflected. “I lost 5–3. My fault, not his fault. I missed so many doubles. Doubling isn’t my strong point anyway, but that was so out of character last night.
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“I’ve played so well the last four weeks. You’ve got to accept that this is going to happen sometimes, and unfortunately for me it happened in the first game of the Grand Slam.”

Despite knowing the defeat left him with no margin for error, Aspinall said he still felt confident of progressing if he could beat world number one Luke Humphries in his final group match.

“Michael won, I didn’t — so it’s put my back against the wall. But I know what I’ve got to do: win the next two games and keep my chances alive,” he said. “I scored well again tonight, but the finishing was in the back of my mind. Still, I got the win, the two points, and the plus-three leg difference. Let’s see what happens — I know what I’ve got to do tomorrow.”

The Stockport thrower revealed that he and fellow player Chris Dobey have been sharing accommodation this week, and joked that he was already hoping for a winner-takes-all clash against Humphries.

“I said to Dobey, ‘Listen, I want Smithy to beat Luke. Simple as that.’ I want to play Luke in a shootout — that’s what we’re used to: winner goes through, loser goes home. That’s when the fire in the belly comes out.”

Aspinall admitted that the group-stage format can be a mental challenge, especially after suffering an early defeat.

“I love the Grand Slam and I love the group stage, but it’s weird coming back into a venue 12 hours after you’ve been beaten,” he said. “Still, it’s a fantastic tournament — I’ve lost my first game before and still got through, and I plan to do the same again this year.”

The world number 20 said he had arrived in Wolverhampton confident of topping the group but once again finds himself taking the hard route.

“When I came down on Friday, in my head I was beating Michael Smith, having a good game with Luke Humphries, and beating Spellman to qualify,” he said. “Obviously that’s not happened. But you know me — I do it the hard way, and I thrive off that.

“It’s a bit boring just winning all your games 5–0! I can go home tonight, get a kebab with Dobey, and look forward to a big night tomorrow.”

Asked about Michael Smith’s injury problems and their off-stage friendship, Aspinall was characteristically honest.

“No, I wanted to absolutely iron him out! I don’t care about his injuries — off the oche, I do. I love the guy to bits,” he smiled. “I’ve tried to help him over the last six months. He’s going through what I went through, so I’ve got sympathy for him.

“But obviously last night I wanted to smash him — simple as that. It didn’t pan out that way. I was happy for him that he won, well… not when he beat me! But he needs confidence, and he’ll come back fine.”

Aspinall added that despite joking about helping Smith, he had stayed in contact while his fellow Englishman battled through a tough period.

“The guy doesn’t answer his phone, so I’ve actually not helped him!” he laughed. “But I’ve been messaging him, and he told me there were only three people who’ve been checking in on him — and I was one of them.

“I know how it feels to drop down the rankings through no fault of your own. He’ll come back — he’s too good not to.”

Despite winning three European Tour titles this year, Aspinall has slipped to 20th in the world rankings — but he insisted that the system is fair. “I agree with the rankings,” he said. “I won a tournament, I won a chunk of money, and I’ve had two years knowing it was coming off. I haven’t defended it, so why should I stay up there?

“Imagine if I didn’t win those three Euro Tours — I’d probably be at Q School… or a commentator like Glen (Durrant)!”

“It’s down to me now to fight and get back into a position where I’m selected for stuff. That means performing on TV. Maybe I’m thinking about that too much, which is why my stage game isn’t matching my floor game. But listen, I know how good I am, and I know where I’ll be at the end of the year.”

Reflecting on the 5–2 victory over American debutant Alex Spellman, Aspinall admitted the match wasn’t as straightforward as the scoreline might suggest. “He played better than last night,” Aspinall said. “We watched him and I spoke to him before he went on — he admitted how rubbish he was last night, and I said, ‘You won’t do that again,’ and he didn’t. "They’re the games everyone expects me to win, and I expect to win. He played with a bit of freedom early on and made it tough, but when I pulled away, I think he probably gave in a bit. He’s a great guy, though — I’ve met him before when he went over to America. But yeah, that was a game I should have won, and I did.”

Aspinall now faces Humphries in a must-win final group match and is expecting another high-quality contest. “What I always expect from Luke — 105 average, a fantastic game, played in great spirit,” he said. “Whoever hits more doubles wins.”

Aspinall also revealed the frustration that lingered after his opening defeat, joking that he literally walked it off.

“Yeah, it was important to forget about last night and I didn’t!” he laughed. “I was so disappointed I left the venue and actually walked halfway home. That’s why I’m wearing these today my trainers are filthy! Walking through tunnels and God knows where.

“I had to try and forget about it, but it ruined me last night. It was a tough defeat to take. But I’ve won that game now — start of a new week tomorrow morning, and we go again.”