INTERVIEW: Martin Schindler on emotional motivation for the World Cup: "Dad, you can do it"

Martin Schindler has become the figurehead of German darts this year. After winning two titles on the European Tour, The Wall wants to crown the best season of his career so far at the 2025 World Darts Championship. Media representatives including DartsNews.com had the opportunity to interview the 28-year-old at a PDC Europe press conference in the run-up to the World Championship. Schindler gave exciting insights into his tournament preparation, spoke about his change of supplier to BULL'S and formulated an ambitious World Championship goal.

In an interview, the German number one emphasizes the importance of the World Darts Championship for the players. "It's the most important tournament of the year - both for the rankings and for the attention the sport receives. You also realize at this stage how many people want to talk to you and how many adjustments you have to make to get everything under one roof. I'm really looking forward to the World Championships," says Schindler.

As officially announced today by the PDC, The Wall will start the tournament in the evening session on December 22nd. For the young family man, the scheduling a few days before Christmas brings with it a bit of planning stress: "This year we've tried to plan my trip a bit better so that my wife and child don't have to be at home alone at Christmas, but come to England with me. I don't want my child to get used to dad not being home for Christmas."

Schindler explains that the added responsibility of being the father of a one-year-old daughter has also had an impact on his performance on the dartboard. "I've always looked up to my dad as if he's the biggest hero and now I imagine what that will be like for my daughter in the future when she looks at the TV and thinks 'Daddy's the greatest, daddy's the greatest'. When I go through a difficult phase on the dartboard, I try to imagine her giving me a 'Daddy you can do it, I believe in you'. I try to evoke this unconditional love that my child gives me in the moments when things aren't going so well."

The World Championship draw was held at the beginning of the week in the run-up to the publication of the schedule. Schindler will start the tournament as a seeded player in round two, where he will face the winner of the match between Callan Rydz and Romeo Grbavac. "The draw could definitely have been worse. After the Grand Slam of Darts, of course nobody wanted to play against Wessel Nijman. I'm also glad not to be up against one of the other German players directly," says Schindler. The Wall also emphasizes his exceptional record against Callan Rydz, whom he defeated 12 times in 12 matches. Schindler has also met Romeo Grbavac on the oche: "Before last year's World Darts Championship, I beat him in the ranking final of the Hessian Darts Association."

This year, most of Schindler's tournament preparation will take place within his own four walls. The 28-year-old has already drawn up a training plan: "I will train two hours a day in the morning and two hours in the evening. I'll also spend about an hour on mental training." Schindler also wants to work on his physical condition before the World Championships and beyond the tournament. "I want to be much more active in sports and also increase my physical fitness with strength training. All in all, I've put a lot of work on my shoulders - now it's time to put this plan into practice." Schindler will also train with World Championship debutant Niko Springer in a shoot for Sport1.

Schindler wants to finally experience his breakthrough at major level at the 2025 World Darts Championship. While The Wall finished the past European Tour season as number one on the Order of Merit after winning two titles, Schindler never made it past the last 16 at any major tournament. "These failures didn't ruin anything, but rather awakened an even greater hunger. I just want to compete in the majors and give my best performance. These are the tournaments that have the biggest influence on the rankings and also have the biggest impact on German darts," says the 28-year-old.

Schindler would like to satisfy this hunger at the upcoming World Championships. The German has a clear goal for the tournament at the Ally Pally in London: "I want to break my own World Championship record by reaching the round of 16. I'll be honest: an elimination in the second or third round would not be a good or acceptable result for me at this World Championship. The minimum goal is to reach the last 16, but beyond that I would also like to reach the quarter-finals, semi-finals or final or win the World Cup. I have the feeling that I can definitely go far and have high expectations of myself," says Schindler optimistically.

Schindler could face his compatriot and long-time companion Gabriel Clemens in the round of 16. "If it comes to a duel against Gaga, then that's just the way it is, you can't prevent that in a draw. Of course, just like Gabriel, I would also want to win this match." Although Martin Schindler replaced Gabriel Clemens as the German number one at the start of the year, the good relationship between the two Pro Tour colleagues has not changed. "Both Gaga and I and all the other German players are fundamentally fighting for our position in the rankings. We would all like to progress together, there are no rivalries between us. For me it's about playing good darts, getting decent results and improving bit by bit. I'm not even thinking about the German records," explains Schindler;

An approach that brought the German two PDC titles this year. While Schindler's results were better than ever before, The Wall was not always satisfied with his performances. "For me it's a good sign that I'm winning games when I'm not necessarily playing great. I think you shouldn't drive yourself too crazy and evaluate yourself honestly. Overall, I'm happy with this year and hope that things will go even better in 2025."

Another milestone in Schindler's professional career followed a month ago, when the German announced his move to darts manufacturer BULL's. Since then, German fans have been wondering when Schindler's new darts will be on show for the first time. "I'll still be using my old darts for the World Championships, which has of course been agreed with the supplier," says Schindler and reveals that he will definitely be getting new equipment: "I don't want to give too much away yet, but the barrel shape will definitely be retained. Anything else would be nonsense."

Apart from a new shirt, which Schindler has been wearing since the European Championship 2024, The Wall will rely on tried and tested methods at the World Cup: "I have the small problem that my walk-on song by Rammstein doesn't work in England and the interaction with the fans isn't the same as on German stages. I've heard that 'Radio Ga Ga' by Queen is relatively popular in England. Maybe I'll use it in my round of 16 match against Gabriel 'Gaga' Clemens," Schindler joked in conclusion.