Suljovic denies claims of slowing players down: "I need to play my game, not Michael van Gerwen's"

Having been accused in the past of deliberately slowing the game down to affect his opponent, "I need to play my game, not Michael van Gerwen's," Mensur Suljovic declares ahead of their third-round clash at the PDC World Darts Championship.

After a tough year, the Austrian was visibly delighted to secure a whitewash victory over Mike de Decker. "I'm not good this year," Suljovic admits. "I just need to focus on my game." Struggles over 2022 would not have been the only thing playing on Suljovic's mind pre-game, despite having been at the top echelons of the sport for many years now, the Austrian had only won once in the previous four years at Ally Pally.

With the methodical Suljovic being pitted against the faster-paced Michael van Gerwen in round 3, the Gentle as he's known, is asked if he intends to use gamesmanship to his advantage and attempt to slow the pace of the game and ruin van Gerwen's rhythm.

"No, never," Suljovic replies with a smile. "Everyone always tells me I play slower against a speedy player, no never! I focus on my game, my feeling and maybe sometimes I take longer but this is my feeling. Michael is my friend, I like him. He's always the tournament favourite for me."