"No sleep is not good for focus or happiness": Dirk van Duijvenbode reveals simple reason behind happier form
PDCSunday, 30 August 2026 at 09:08
Dirk van Duijvenbode pulled off a remarkable upset on the European Tour on Saturday evening. The Dutchman defeated Luke Humphries in the second round of the Hungarian Darts Trophy, not only ending a painful run of defeats but also showing afterwards that he is once again enjoying himself more and playing with greater relaxation on stage. According to Van Duijvenbode, this has a lot to do with a change in his private life: his young children are now sleeping better.
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The victory over Humphries meant more to Van Duijvenbode than simply reaching the next round. The Dutchman had faced his English opponent particularly often in recent years and had almost always ended up on the losing side. Prior to this match, Van Duijvenbode had lost to the former world champion nine times in a row.
That made the relief after his victory all the greater. Van Duijvenbode reacted visibly enthusiastically and thoroughly enjoyed the moment. However, he had to make a small correction afterwards when the interviewer suggested it was his first victory over Humphries on stage "I beat him once before on stage," said Van Duijvenbode. "He was in the final, so please get your act together. But he beats me a lot."
The interviewer subsequently apologised, but that did not change the essence of the story. Humphries has simply beaten Van Duijvenbode far more often in recent years than the other way around. That is precisely why this victory felt even sweeter for the Dutchman.
Van Duijvenbode had already spoken to Humphries about their head-to-head record before the match. The two regularly come up against each other on the European Tour. According to Van Duijvenbode, Humphries even pointed out to him that they had been drawn against each other no fewer than four times in their last nine European Tour events.
"Today he came in. He was like, we draw each other a lot. I was like, hey, I don't think you mind because you win all the time. But I was like, yeah, it doesn't make like, okay, obviously Luke's a phenomenal player. But I think I'm okay as well, you know."
A lot of respect
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The Dutchman knows better than anyone just how good Humphries is. He has a great deal of respect for the Englishman's qualities and therefore rightly sees him as the better player of the two. At the same time, Van Duijvenbode feels that the head-to-head balance has been particularly one-sided in recent years.
"And I know he's the better player out of the two," he said. "But the times he beats me, I don't think it's fair compared to, like, I think I should beat him sometimes. Like, obviously he's the better player, but I should beat him sometimes."
However, the statistics between the two players gave Van Duijvenbode little reason to feel overly confident beforehand. Humphries had won all of their previous nine meetings. The Dutchman joked about that before the match.
"And I was like, today I was like, yeah, he comes in and he's like, yeah, my last nine Eurotours, I played you four times. He's like, yeah. And I just thought, you won them all. So, I was like, so if I win today, I'm at least at 20%."
Dirk van Duijvenbode thrives.
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That twenty per cent became reality. Van Duijvenbode actually managed to defeat Humphries and secured a victory that was not only important for the tournament but also clearly did him good.
The win also fitted into a development that has become increasingly noticeable in recent months. Van Duijvenbode looks more relaxed, laughs more and appears to be enjoying himself on stage again. That was also clearly visible against Humphries. Whereas the Dutchman has often appeared visibly frustrated or tense on stage in the past, this time he radiated calmness above all.
No coincidence
According to Van Duijvenbode, that is no coincidence. A lot has changed behind the scenes in his life. The Dutchman is the father of two young children and admitted that combining fatherhood with professional sport has been quite difficult during this period.
"I'm happier in life, yeah," he said. "Obviously a lot of struggles and two young kids and sleep is really very bad. If I speak to other people that have kids as well, I'm very jealous because we don't have sleep. And if you don't have sleep, you don't have focus, you don't have a good mood and things are turning better now."
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"The kids are sleeping better and then you immediately see that through your focus. And obviously I love my kids, but no sleep is not good for focus and for happiness."
According to the Dutchman, that is now beginning to change. His children are sleeping better, which means he is getting more rest himself. That seems to be having an immediate effect on both his daily life and his performances on stage.
"And it's getting better and I feel better. Life's better and family's better and I'm getting better now, hopefully. And hopefully I'll turn this to being good again."
Samuel GillChief Content Officer
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.
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