"That final actually came a little unexpected" - Jeffrey de Graaf reacts to recent Pro Tour improvement
PDCThursday, 30 May 2024 at 15:00
Jeffrey de Graaf has been in excellent form lately. Early this month, the Dutchman, who now represents Sweden, almost even won a Players Championship tournament.
De Graaf somewhat surprisingly reached the final of the tenth Pro Tour tournament of the year. There, in Hildesheim, he eventually lost 8-4 to Brendan Dolan. "That final actually came a little unexpected," De Graaf said to the podcast Double Top. "It was with me those two days. The day before I won a difficult match against Cameron Menzies, he missed seven matchdarts and I was able to take advantage of that. Other than that I won some exciting games and that did make me play with the necessary confidence."
De Graaf already cited it, those close matches seem to be something he thrives in. "Yes, that's true, I don't win easily that often. But regularly it is also down to myself, that I still make it unnecessarily exciting," he said.
"So in several matches I was ahead 4-2, then suddenly threw a bad leg and so it often became exciting again. Also in the semi-final against Krzysztof Ratajski I had a big lead, but at 6-5 it became exciting again. Fortunately I was able to finish it off. In the final, however, Dolan was too strong," he assesses honestly.
Tour Card
De Graaf only captured his PDC Tour Card early this year, returning to the Pro Tour for the first time since 2018. Due to his strong performance in recent months, he has already climbed to 86th in the world rankings.
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- I dont like individuals or crowds trying to put any player off when they are trying to check out, how anyone can think its okay for the crowd to whistle or shout as someone is throwing for a double is beyond me but it does seem to have become part and parcel of the modern game. I no longer play now, darts is as good as dead at a local level round my way but when i did play many years ago, no matter how intense the rivalry you never shouted out or whistled when an opponent from the other team was throwing for a double.Mysstree17-11-2024
- The pundits glossing over the other factor at play in that match. They appear to be somewhat constrained in what they can say publicly.
UndartedWaters16-11-2024 - So, you don't like Littler, then? I was cheering him on, being a fellow Englishman. Honestly, some of us get far too offended nowadays. If you want to see crowd passion... watch a match when German and Dutch players face off... that can be just as bad if not worse for crowd noises. It happens, I have watched and heard Littler being jeered - Dirk van Duijvenbode in Holland, January this year. Where was your outrage then? Yes, I can clearly see what is going on here.MrYnyslas197116-11-2024
- It happens. Remember, anyone who has watched German and Dutch players in matches - their respective countries will have seen/heard just as bad jeering (if not worse). Taylor and MVG are two prime examples of professionals who are able to cope with the crowds mentally and not take it personally. This is not just an English crowd problem, FFS.MrYnyslas197116-11-2024
- Was watching an old World Masters final the other day between Eric Bristow and John Lowe, the crowd respect for both players on throw was first class, not a sound. You can imagine now the idiots who were whistling on De Deckers throw proudly boasting about it on social media. I blame the PDC to a certain extent though doubt they really care as they win regardless of which player wins or loses.Mysstree16-11-2024