Gerwyn Price believes he is still the man to beat going into his return to action for the first time in nearly 90 days, he said in a recent interview with Oche.
Price missed out on playing in the Premier League Darts after a positive Covid-19 test but despite his World Cup teammate, Jonny Clayton winning it, he believes he would have won it if involved.
“I’m still the man. I’m world No.1, I’m world champ. I haven’t played for three months, people can win tournaments without the world champion in. Jonny’s a fantastic player but I believe if I was in it, I would have won it," said Price.
“I’m just angry at not being able to play, not angry at any of the players or at the dartboard. I’ll go out and be myself. You need to have aggression but it needs to be controlled aggression. If I’m going out there frustrated and wanting to prove a point, then I’m just going to go backwards.
“I’ll be myself and do what I’ve done over the past couple of years and try and win games.
“It is what it is. I’ve had to deal with it. Yes I’m disheartened and a little bit peed off. There’s nothing I can do about it. I’ve just got to be a bit more positive and look forward to the rest of the year.
Return in front of fans
This meant Price wasn't able to get the cheers or the boos from the returning fans at the Premier League but could encounter them at the World Matchplay if a full crowd is allowed into the Winter Gardens.
For Price, that is what it is all about and as long as he is on stage playing darts, he doesn't care.
“I don’t care if I get cheers or if I get boos. As long as I’m up on that stage playing, the crowd is there and the atmosphere is there. That’s all I’m looking forward to.
“I’ve had boos as good as the worst of them, I’ll just deal with it again. As long as I’m not sat in my house, or on a digger or hitting walls down, I’m just looking forward to getting darts back in my hand.