"It doesn't matter if I'm playing Michael van Gerwen or a 98-year-old granny in an exhibition" - Resurgent Gary Anderson just wants to win

Following his victory over old rival Michael van Gerwen on Sunday night, Gary Anderson has still never failed to make it out of the group stage in his 17 appearances at the prestigious tournament.

In what was essentially a fight for top spot in the group, 'The Flying Scotsman' reached an average of 105.19 thanks to 24 scores of 100 or more in nine legs. Some lax finishing from Anderson kept Van Gerwen in touch with the Scot having a finishing percentage of 38.5 percent, compared to 57.1 percent for his Dutch opponent. In the end, it went all the way to a decider, where it was Anderson who took the win with a 16-darter.

“It wasn’t quite as good as last night,” joked the two-time champion of the world afterwards, having averaged 'only' 105.19, compared to the 113.2 average Anderson fired against Ryan Joyce in his group stage opener on Saturday night in Wolverhampton. “There were a few loose darts and missed doubles, but I stuck in there, kept calm and nicked it!”

After a quiet couple of seasons from Anderson, he has been back to his brilliant best on the Pro Tour in 2024, even winning on the Euro Tour for the first time in a decade, booking his spot at the Grand Slam of Darts as a result. Although a really deep run in a TV major hasn't yet come, things are looking good for the Scot heading into the most important part of the year. "I've been fortunate in this world, to stand on stages with Phil Taylor, Michael van Gerwen, now it's Luke Humphries," he reflects. "Who knows who the next one's going to be? The money is on Luke Littler, but with the quality of the players coming through, it's going to be a hard few years for these boys."

Despite the talk of Van Gerwen's recent "part-timer" jibe at Anderson, he also insists he's focused purely on his own game. "It doesn't matter if I'm playing Michael van Gerwen or a 98-year-old granny in an exhibition," he says with a smile. "I'm there to play darts and it's the same with kids. In Ireland I missed a nine-darter against a youngster and he ended up crying. His dad asked: why did you do that? I said: He's not beating me! I hate losing."