“Unfortunately, I will have to leave darts for a longer period. I think this is unwise and it saddens me a lot, but there is currently no other choice.

Long story short it takes a lot of pain, effort and energy for me to play darts full time. The arm has simply not worked for a while, and then you have to think again and make the decision, ”Van Duivenbode wrote on Facebook on Friday evening.

He finally emphasized that it is not a final goodbye. “This is not giving up. This is a conscious choice with a lot of thought behind it. I don't know how long it will take. Can be months, can be years. But someday I will come back, the Pigeon will be back. ”

Van Duivenbode had been in possession of a PDC Tour Card since the beginning of 2019 and at times showed some real talent but was in real danger of losing it at the end of this year.