Max Hopp will take part in the Q-School despite injury: "I've already put other things behind me"
PDCSaturday, 30 December 2023 at 14:00
The last 16 of the PDC World Darts Championship will take place on Saturday, signalling that the end of the World Darts Championship is near. Only a few days to go before we know who the new world champion will be.
Q-School starts five days after the end of the World Championship and although he suffered a fractured heel bone and torn ligaments in his right foot playing handball at the beginning of the month, Max Hopp will definitely take part in the Q-School. For the German, it's worth a try to get his tour card back, which he lost at the end of 2022, as he revealed in an interview with dartn.de.
"I will definitely give it a try. Hopefully without a splint. You can't play at all with a splint. The agreement is that I'll start moving after Christmas, get well taped and make sure I have a stable stance."
However, he has not yet tested how it works with playing, but is confident: "Of course, it's difficult to say what it will be like when you're back in the game, but I'll get through it. I think I've already put other things behind me. I'll be fine!"
Should the Maximiser manage to return to the PDC circuit, he will be confronted with the new calendar, which stipulates that the floor tournaments will now take place during the week. A change that Hopp is in favour of: "I think it's good. Of course it will be more difficult for some people to juggle everything, but basically I don't think it's a bad move because it would give the players a weekend off and leave alternatives for other events at the weekend. At the moment it was really the case that you as a player didn't get anything out of the weekend. You see relatively little of your family and don't get much of a break."
However, Hopp also understands that the new schedule is not to the liking of all players: "Of course it would be a hindrance - and this is a situation that I might also have at some point - if you are no longer a full professional but have this semi-professional status, you work Monday to Thursday and then want to fly to the tournament. You just can't do that any more. You'll miss a lot of Pro Tour events and some might even give back their Tour Card or think twice about it. You could say that the decision has advantages for some pros, but also many disadvantages for those who aren't in the top 64."
However, should the German fail at Q-School, as he did at the start of 2023, he will not turn his back on darts. "I'll definitely be playing a lot, just staying in rhythm and getting plenty of practice."
For example, he has his sights set on the PDC Europe NEXT GEN. This circuit will start for the first time in 2024 and is open to all darts players from German-speaking countries who are 16 years or older and do not have a Tour Card. In addition to the option to qualify for the Europe Super League, participants can also earn an option to take part in a European Tour tournament or the Q-School. "The PDC Europe NEXT GEN has of course opened up a new opportunity that didn't exist last year," emphasised Hopp, leaving no doubt that he is not ruling out this route. Participation on the Challenge Tour would also be an option.
"Then let's see what next year will be like, which tour I'll end up on," he emphasised.
Finally, the Maximiser had a few hopeful words for the fans: "One thing's for sure: you'll always see something from me, you'll always hear from me and Max will continue to play good darts!"
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