Ryan Searle candid after difficult period: "Have fallen out of love with darts a little bit"

Ryan Searle has been remarkably honest about his current state of mind at the German Darts Grand Prix. The Englishman confessed that his passion for the sport is waning.

Searle started the tournament in Munich with a 6-2 victory over Cameron Menzies, despite a modest average of 90.07. But in the third round he was convincingly defeated 6-1 by Michael van Gerwen, who even managed to produce a nine darter during the match.

Heavy Metal peaked earlier this year by winning Players Championship 4. Since then, however, his form has plummeted. He reached only one quarterfinal on the ProTour and his results on television have been poor for some time. His last major quarterfinal dates back to the World Matchplay in 2023.

Searle expressed his feelings in a candid interview. “In the last week I have fallen out of love with darts a little bit," he said. Still, he indicated that an unexpected turn of events has done him good.

“It was nice to get home from Rosmalen and get the call to say I am a seed for the German Grand Prix so I could have an extra day off. I haven’t touched my darts till the day before the tournament began and I think that reset helped me.”  

With his victory over Menzies, Searle remains unbeaten against the Scot in three meetings between them. Despite the win, he was not entirely satisfied with the level of the match. "I was expecting a bit more from Cammy to push me on but it was just one of those games where we both underperformed," Searle said.

Nevertheless, Searle still saw a positive bright spot. “It’s nice to get through when you are not playing at your best because my last couple of games that I have lost on the Euro Tour I averaged over 100.

Finally, Searle thanked the German audience in Munich. “Everyone knows it’s not easy to play on big stages like this but when the fans are cheering for you and showing their appreciation it makes it a bit easier.”