"Once you start slipping, it's so hard to get back": Harsh reality check coming for Michael Smith in quest to return from injury

In a new episode of Sportnieuws.nl’s podcast Darts Draait Door, Jermaine Wattimena joins hosts Damian Vlottes and Vincent van der Voort for a candid, humorous, and insightful discussion. The trio cover everything from injuries and form slumps to comebacks and the often brutal realities of life on the professional darts circuit including for Michael Smith among others who are trying to get back to their best.

Wattimena, once a regular fixture on televised stages, had faded somewhat from the spotlight in recent years. But he’s emphatically returned to form over the past 18 months. The Dutchman reached the quarter-finals of the 2024 Grand Slam of Darts, followed by a brilliant run to the final at the European Championship. In 2025, he continued that momentum with a last-16 finish at the World Matchplay and celebrated his maiden PDC ranking title by winning Players Championship 23.

“It took at least two to two and a half years to get myself back,” Wattimena reflected on his struggles. “I still had a bit of margin before I lost my Tour Card—that was my luck. But the standard on the Pro Tour is so high these days; you don’t just come back without serious work.”

A small technical tweak proved pivotal in his resurgence. “I switched to a different flight—an L-style—and that gave me more room in the treble and the double. It made a real difference,” he explained. He also credited a calmer training regime: “I became less of a bouncing ball. A little more control in my throw. That’s made all the difference.”

The conversation also turned to Michael Smith’s current struggles with arthritis, a debilitating condition affecting his hands and shoulders. “That’s just really sad,” Wattimena said, while Van der Voort added: “It’s incredible how quickly things can go wrong. He’s a world-class talent, but now it’s about how he manages this.”

Van der Voort spoke from experience. “The Tour waits for no one,” he said bluntly. “Even for top players—Van Gerwen, Dimitri van den Bergh, Joe Cullen—once you start slipping, it's so hard to get back.”

One particularly poignant moment in the podcast came when Van der Voort brought up Dennie Olde Kalter, who finally notched his first Pro Tour win after 20 consecutive first-round exits. “You could just see the weight lift off his shoulders,” he said. “And then he went and beat Jim Williams and Ricky Evans too. Fair play to him.”

Wattimena could relate to the emotion. “I’ve been there,” he admitted. “You’re throwing 100 averages and still losing. You look at the board thinking, ‘What more do I have to do?’ It gets frustrating.”

Van der Voort also spoke about his recent trip to the WDF Open Antwerp—but admitted it was short-lived. “I played pairs with Quin on Friday night, but Saturday… I walked into the venue, took one look and knew: this isn’t for me,” he said with a laugh. “We were back in an Uber to the hotel within five minutes.”

He explained that a lack of proper seating and warm-up areas made the event physically difficult. “My feet and back just can’t cope anymore. And then to wait around two hours just to warm up before a match? I physically can’t do that.”

As for the venue itself, he was honest in his critique. “The field of players was strong—maybe even better than the Dutch Open—but the hall… not very impressive. If they just put up a tent outside where you can sit or warm up, it’d be so much better.”

Van der Voort highlighted the stark contrast between PDC events and the rest. “On the Pro Tour, you always have a table, proper warm-up boards—everything’s taken care of. That’s the difference between the professional and amateur levels,” he said. “I don’t mean that disrespectfully, but it’s a different standard.”

Wattimena still takes part in events like the Super League. “It’s about rhythm, building confidence. And it’s just fun to throw.”

Van der Voort never played Super League. “When I switched to the PDC, my son was five or six. I wanted to be there for football or tennis on the weekends. You’re away so much already. He used to say, ‘I hope you lose, then you’ll be home sooner.’ So yeah, I stayed home at weekends.”

One of the lighter moments of the podcast came when the pair recalled a UK Open clash between them. “We went to the back for the break—usually you don’t talk to your opponent,” Van der Voort recalled. “But he just says, straight-faced, that if I keep hitting 180s, he can’t win. I thought, ‘What’s he saying?’”

Wattimena laughed: “Vincent was playing great that day. If he kept that level up…” Van der Voort continued: “I’ll never forget it. I don’t usually chat with opponents backstage mid-match. It’s not forbidden, but when he said that—I had to laugh. He left me speechless.”

Finally, the episode touched on Wattimena’s now-infamous quote during the World Matchplay, where he made a tongue-in-cheek remark about the crumbling facades in Blackpool and joked that Polish plasterers could do a better job.

“‘Nice and relaxed. Enjoying lovely Blackpool, where the facades are almost falling apart. They’d better send some Poles, they can plaster nicely here,’” Wattimena had said at the time. The comment didn’t land well with everyone.

“It wasn’t appreciated,” he acknowledged on the podcast. “But no one really knows the context. We were joking around—it was a joke! And honestly, it was meant as a compliment. Polish workers do a great job. They did fantastic work at my parents’ house.”