“No one expects anything from me” – Rob Cross targets top-10 comeback after falling to world No. 24

Rob Cross believes a return to the world’s top 10 is within reach despite slipping to 24th on the PDC Order of Merit. The former world champion has rediscovered his confidence after winning Players Championship 22 and reaching the Slovak Darts Open final, with a favourable ranking situation giving him further reason to believe he can climb back towards the sport’s elite.

Cross spent much of his career among the leading names in darts after winning the World Championship in 2018, but his position has deteriorated following a difficult couple of years. “We look on previous and I have been in the game for ten years. I have had a couple of strokes of luck,” Cross told Oche180. “But I never really spent much time out of that top 10. Over the last couple of years, I have missed a lot of tournaments.”

His struggles were particularly apparent in 2025, when he failed to reach the quarter-finals of a major for the first time in his career. Cross accepts that his preparation and schedule contributed to his decline, although he insists he never stopped trying to produce his best darts. “I have probably put not much effort in and all. Not being bad to it and saying I wasn’t trying,” he admitted. “I always give 110 per cent. I was just maybe a bit guilty of trying to prep myself in the right way.”

There have already been signs of a revival in 2026. Cross pushed James Wade to a deciding leg at the UK Open before losing 10-9, then claimed victory at Players Championship 22 and reached a European Tour final at the Slovak Darts Open.

The emergence of Gian van Veen, Wessel Nijman and Josh Rock has helped reshape the upper reaches of the sport, but Cross sees no reason why he cannot re-establish himself alongside the younger names. “I think if I do that then I am a top 10 player anyway,” he said. “The game is changing, the people are getting younger at the top.”

Cross acknowledged the quality of the players now challenging for major honours but remains convinced his own game can still match theirs. “We look at [Gian] Van Veen, Wessel [Nijman] and Josh [Rock] is up there. They are all great players,” he continued. “But I feel when I get in a good rhythm and headspace I can do great things. I know I can still win tournaments and perform on that big stage.”

His most recent major title came at the 2021 European Championship, although he has reached another three major finals since.

Cross believes the next 16 months present an opportunity to rebuild his position on the PDC Order of Merit, with relatively little prize money to defend compared with some of the players ahead of him. “I will get back there because there is not much I am defending over the next 16 months,” he explained. “It has all come off. The next amount I have to defend is the World Championships next year, which is £60,000.”

The former world champion also believes the reduced expectations surrounding his game could work in his favour as he attempts to close the gap on the top 10. “There is no pressure on me. There is nothing like that. No one expects anything from me which is great,” Cross said. “It gives me a little freebie behind the curtain just to keep crunching away.”

Cross does not believe his return requires a dramatic transformation either, adding: “I don’t think I will be far off it. It is just a couple of runs and consistency I will be back in that top 10.”

With a Players Championship title and a European Tour final already on his 2026 record, the former world champion has started producing the results needed to turn that ambition into a realistic target.