"If he came back from a year or two, it will do him the world of good": Dimitri van den Bergh losing his Tour Card might be the best move

Belgian darter Dimitri Van den Bergh is going through one of the toughest spells of his career. The former World Matchplay champion, once praised for his flair and relaxed stage presence, now appears weighed down by heavy mental and sporting pressure. Results are lacking, his game looks uncertain, and even his future at the highest level is under scrutiny.

While Van den Bergh was regarded as part of the absolute world elite a few years ago, this season paints a very different picture. The Belgian, currently down to 36th on the world rankings, has managed to win just one match on the ProTour this year. It is not much better at the major televised events: since last year’s UK Open, he has not recorded a single noteworthy win. For a player with his pedigree and talent, that is a striking and worrying decline. In a recent interview, Van den Bergh admitted he currently no longer finds joy in darts.

Former professional darter and analyst Matt Edgar recently expressed concern about the Antwerp native’s situation. In his analysis, Edgar pointed not only to the disappointing results but also to structural issues in Van den Bergh’s game. According to him, there is more at play than a temporary dip in form.

“I have real concerns right now. I’m looking at the averages here and 87.33 over the last 12 months," he said. "That is not going to cut it or get him into a position where he has success on the tour." In modern professional darts, where consistent averages above 95 are more the norm than the exception, an average under 90 often means you are structurally coming up short.

What makes the situation even more precarious is the lack of safety nets. Van den Bergh can no longer rely on protected positions or automatic entries. “He ha snothing guaranteed,” said Edgar. “The rankings won’t give him anything now. So, all this defending money he has to go out there and earn it from the bottom."

In practical terms, that means participation in prestigious tournaments like the World Matchplay or the World Darts Championship is far from assured. Without strong performances on the floor and in qualifiers, he even risks missing these events altogether—a scenario that seemed unthinkable a few years ago.

There were, however, small bright spots at the end of last season. Van den Bergh reached the quarterfinals of Players Championship 34, which offered hope of a turnaround. But he could not carry that form through. Defeats in qualifying for the Grand Slam of Darts, an early exit at the Worlds, and an elimination in the last 128 at the Winmau World Masters confirmed the problems run deeper.

According to Edgar, those problems are also visible in the Belgian’s technique. “The throw just doesn’t feel there. He is always looking at the dart in hand. He is struggling to get the grip and get that into position." In a sport where automatism and rhythm are crucial, even a minor technical doubt can have major consequences. It leads to hesitation, and hesitation is fatal at the highest level.

Perhaps even more important than the technical aspect is Van den Bergh’s mental state. The playful, energetic darter who entertained the crowd with dance moves and charisma seems replaced by a player focused mainly on defending his position. “Right now it just looks like the weight of the world is on his shoulders and he is defending something. When you are defending something you are not aggressive, you are not attacking.”

That mental pressure can be paralyzing. Instead of playing with freedom, every visit becomes loaded with the importance of ranking points, prize money, and qualifications. It is a vicious circle: poor results increase the pressure, and that pressure in turn leads to even worse performances.

Notably, Edgar even suggests a drastic solution: a temporary step back from the professional circuit, if necessary by losing his PDC Tour Card. While that may sound extreme at first glance, he points to precedents within the darts world.

He cited Raymond van Barneveld, who returned after a period away and climbed back into the top 32. Cristo Reyes also made a strong comeback after several years out of the spotlight. And Ross Smith, who even quit darts entirely, returned as a better and more complete player.

The common thread in those stories is clear: taking distance can help reset both mentally and technically. For Van den Bergh, who is still relatively young, that could be a valuable option according to Edgar. “The thing that Dimitri Van den Bergh has still got in his favour is his age — he is still young.

“We have a very experienced player in a young man’s body as far as darts goes. So, I think Dimitri Van den Bergh, if he came back from a year or two, it will do him the world of good."

That combination of experience and youth offers perspective. Where older players sometimes drop off for good after a slump, Van den Bergh theoretically still has time to reinvigorate his career. But something has to change—and fast.