"It makes me giggle. I'm just playing for fun now" - Gary Anderson without expectation or pressure despite growing talk of resurgence

Gary Anderson continued his impressive resurgence with a comeback victory over Dirk van Duijvenbode in his opening group stage match on Saturday at the Grand Slam of Darts.

"I could have been in front if the bloody doubles had went in," the two-time former Grand Slam of Darts finalist began his post-match press conference. "I knew Dirk hadn't been playing too well. So when I kept missing I thought it was going to be one of those nights but I stuck in and nicked it at the end."

A losing finalist at the Grand Slam of Darts in both 2011 and 2018, Anderson returns to Wolverhampton after missing out on the event last year. "I was nervous, really nervous. Even that last dart I was shaking. It's been a while since I've been infront of a big crowd," Anderson admits. "I've always come here through winning something or being runner-up. Last year I wasn't even close so I didn't even play the qualifiers because I didn't deserve it. Qualifying through the back door, for me that's not good. You've got to do it through merit."

In 2023, Anderson has certainly returned to winning ways off TV, taking two Players Championship events in Barnsley and one in Hildesheim. Although he reached the World Cup of Darts final with Scotland, a deep run in a TV singles event is still something he's searching for.

"I'm just here playing darts. I can hear the rest of the boys and what's going about and it makes me giggle. I'm just playing for fun now. I've got no expectation of I'm going to do this or do that. I'm just here to put a good show on."