"My darts career is on the back burner for a while" - Dirk van Duijvenbode works extremely hard to play pain-free again

Dirk van Duijvenbode has not had the best period of his career. Partly due to a shoulder injury, he was also unable to qualify for the World Matchplay. For Van Duijvenbode it is the first time in four years that he is not present at the World Matchplay, in 2022 he reached the quarterfinals.

For Van Duijvenbode, the problems started last year, but quietly he sees light at the end of the tunnel. "Nerve damage can take 2 to 3 years, so I have to exercise some patience and am still working on my recovery," he told Toto Dart Kings. "At first we didn't know what caused it. Now fortunately we do and since then the decision has been made to fully commit to recovery. My darts career is on the back burner for a while as a result."

The 32-year-old Dutchman missed out on qualifying for the World Matchplay. "That nasty injury obviously had a big impact on my career. I dropped considerably on all rankings for the major tournaments. That's a little less important now though, I want to get fully fit again first."

It's not just on his darts career that his injury has the necessary impact. "I have also been able to work less in the past few months (Van Duijvenbode works in an aubergine farm). I've had to call in sick regularly because things weren't going my way."

Quick back

Consequently, Van Duijvenbode is working very hard on his recovery. "It takes me about four hours every day. Especially if you include my travel, I have to go to The Hague every day to work on my recovery with the orthopedist. A treatment is the ice cabin is a daily part of that."

"Anything to get back to playing pain-free as soon as possible," 'Aubergenius' continued. "I still want to be back this year."