Danny Noppert is thoroughly enjoying his trip "Down Under," where he completed a World Series tournament in New Zealand earlier this month and plays one in Australia next weekend.
The dart player from Joure was left out of the lineup for the Premier League Darts early this year, but was rewarded for his good performance on the PDC circuit with invitations to the World Series tournaments in Poland, New Zealand and Australia. Opportunities that 'The Freeze' is thoroughly enjoying.
''This is all new for me,'' he said in an interview with the Darts Show podcast. “I have never been here before but it’s a beautiful country and I’m really happy to have been given the opportunity by the PDC. I am here with the big guys now! I was speaking with my brother yesterday and you look around and you see [the likes of] Gerwyn Price, Peter Wright and Simon Whitlock. It is really special.”
For the past 18 months, Noppert has been a fixture in the top ten of the world rankings. The Dutchman owes that largely to winning the 2022 UK Open title. In addition, he also made it to the semifinals at the World Matchplay in 2022.
Noppert is having a slightly down season this year, but hopes to finish the year in style in the coming months. “The level I have reached – I thought it was possible, but I could only dream of making it happen. Now I’m there, but I need to make bigger steps. I need to win more tournaments to make myself more confident on the stage."
“This year so far, I have not been at my best level, but I am trying to get there. I need to grow, I need to have more confidence and I have to defend £100,000 at the UK Open next year. That will be hard. There are a lot of good players, but I will always fight to stay in the top ten. I’m really working hard at my game. I practice a lot, and with a bit more confidence I can go higher and higher,” Noppert concluded.