"My year has not been good enough, I don't deserve it": Mike de Decker gives brutal assessment of Premier League Darts chances

Mike De Decker is not sparing himself. With striking honesty, the Belgian darter looks back on a disappointing year in which he says he failed to live up to his potential. As he prepares to defend his title at the World Grand Prix in Leicester, "The Real Deal" realizes that 2025 so far has been an accumulation of missed opportunities.

De Decker, currently ranked No. 20 in the world, has yet to reach a quarterfinal at any of the four major televised tournaments with ranking points this year. Also on the Pro Tour, the breakthrough that many expected was not forthcoming - his first title of the year is still pending after the World Grand Prix last year.

The 29-year-old is feeling the pressure of expectations that followed his sensational victory at the 2024 World Grand Prix. That tournament, known for its unique "double in-double out" format, marked his major breakthrough on the world stage.

"Yeah of course winning the World Grand Prix really boosted my career. A lot of people were really expecting more from me and so was I," said De Decker.

“But the Grand Prix was the first tournament that showed I can play on the big stage as well."

Still, after his collaboration with Mission Darts, the switch to new material proved to be a difficult process. De Decker acknowledges that the change affected his game more than he expected.

“Then I switched material to Mission, and it took a long while to get used to it. I did not play well in the first couple of majors this year. I made it a tweak in my setup and now it feels more comfortable and like the set I used last year.”

While many players tend to extol their own chances, De Decker is remarkably realistic about his current status within the darts world. The Belgian leaves little to the imagination when he talks about the Premier League Darts - the prestigious but selective tournament to which only eight players are invited.

“If you look at my year now maybe the PDC was right for not putting me in, but they would not have known that at the time," he continued.  

The PDC recently announced that next year, for the first time, a Premier League Darts game day will take place in Belgium. De Decker was recently asked about Premier League night in Antwerp, a dream location for any Belgian player. But he remains level-headed:

“I got a question a couple of weeks ago about the Premier League and there being a night in Antwerp. I would look at it now and say my year has not been good enough to put me in the Premier League.  

“If my results don’t get better and they put me in the Premier League next year then I will say I don’t deserve it.”

That honesty typifies De Decker, who has found his way up step by step in recent years, but also knows that consistent performance makes the difference between subtop and absolute world class.

On Tuesday, De Decker begins the defense of his title in Leicester. A tough opponent immediately awaits in the first round: Peter Wright, two-time world champion and crowd favorite, although the Scot is not in his best form.

Still, De Decker cautions against underestimation: "I think the problem with Peter Wright is over the years he changed too much in his material. Everyone knows what Peter has done with his setup during games after games, before tournaments and after tournaments. 

“But if he picks up the right set next week you know he can play. He didn’t win two world titles on luck."

The Belgian knows he will have to be at his very best to start his title defense successfully: “I am just looking at it I have to play my A-game like I do going into every tournament.”