"Peter Rabbit would beat me at the minute": Rob Cross downbeat on form but confident of PDC World Darts Championship revival

Former World Champion Rob Cross spoke candidly at PDC Media Day ahead of the 2025/26 World Darts Championship, covering everything from missing the Grand Slam to Beau Greaves’ rise, his own struggles with motivation, and why he’s doubling down on preparation for Alexandra Palace.

A fire alarm interrupted the morning’s schedule, prompting the interviewer to joke that Cross may have been behind it. Cross laughed it off in typical fashion: “It’d give a paracetamol a headache.”

Cross didn’t feature at last week’s Grand Slam of Darts, and while he rarely watches darts as a rule, he admitted one player had caught his attention: Beau Greaves. “I actually watched Beau,” he said. “She did incredibly well. She held herself together, missed a few match darts, but she’s here to stay and she’s going to win games easily.”

Cross believes Greaves’ potential is “limitless”, recalling an event in Frankfurt years ago where she hit “five 180s on the bounce”. While he feels she’ll need time to settle fully across the Women’s Series, Development Tour and Challenge Tour, he expects her to go deep in major events sooner rather than later.

Cross has endured a quiet year by his standards, with few deep runs in majors and long stretches without competitive play. He joked that his current form left him vulnerable to anyone — “Peter Rabbit would beat me at the minute” — but acknowledged there has been a lack of sharpness.

Yet he insists he’s far from done. “I’ve won it before, I know what it takes. That prep will be very important for me going in.”

For the Worlds, Cross returns to a familiar routine: relocating to Hastings and practising intensely with close friends. “I’ll run four hours a day. I won’t be at home — I’ll be fully focused. If I do that, I’ll be great at the World Championships.”

Despite a modest season, Cross is confident momentum can swing quickly. He pointed to the start of this year: after averaging 78 in Bahrain, he went on to win the Dutch Darts Masters the following week. “I’m a bit spontaneous,” he admitted, “but the prep is key.”

Cross says he rarely feels external pressure, except in the immediate aftermath of his 2018 World Championship win. “That whole year changed stuff. It was difficult — different to anything I’d experienced. I came out the next year and didn’t play my best because I was still adapting.”

Despite spending most of his career inside the world’s top 10, he has slipped outside it this season. But he’s not concerned. “There’s no worries. It’s just about getting a routine and working harder. If I’m not putting 110% in and results are bad, I get it. But if I was giving my best and playing how I have the last three months, then I’d need to look for a job change.”

He laughed off the idea of returning to life as an electrician: “No, I’ll go on Jobseeker’s Allowance! Why not?”

This year’s increased winner’s prize — a record £1 million — has prompted debate, but Cross is firmly in the “bring it on” camp. “It’s the pinnacle of the game. You win that world title and the respect is different. A million pounds? It’d be nice to go and win it. If I get the prep right, I’ll be ready.”

Cross has openly discussed struggling with motivation this season, but he says things are improving.

“I’m in the gym, trying to get fitter and build my core up. I wasn’t in the best place a month ago, but it’s changed. Freshening my head up, not feeling lazy or flat — I’m working hard to get it right.”

Recent comments about not knowing how long he’ll stay in the sport led to speculation about his future, but Cross dismissed any idea of retirement.

“Retirement isn’t an option. Nowhere near. But if you push all the buttons and it’s not good enough, then you’ve got to do something else. But it’s not at that point — not even close.”

A difficult season has left Cross hungry, focused and determined to rediscover his best. “If I get it right, watch out — everything could be great.”

With renewed motivation, familiar preparations and a record prize fund on offer, Rob Cross heads into this year’s World Championship with something to prove — and, as he insists, the belief that he can still deliver when it matters most.