"That shouting... It just motivates me" - Danny Noppert won't be intimated by Gerwyn Price at Dutch Darts Masters 2025

The new season gets underway Friday night for Danny Noppert. 'The Freeze' was eliminated in the second round of the World Darts Championship last month and had no darts commitments for a month since then.

"I forgot for a moment that I was on darts, it's been that long," laughed Noppert in conversation with Sportsnieuws. This weekend Noppert will participate in the Dutch Darts Masters in Den Bosch. Immediately a television tournament for the darts player from Joure, who realizes he has to start right away. "It is nice to start again, but it is a television tournament right away. I would have preferred a Pro Tour (floor tournament, ed.) first. So I have to get back into the rhythm. I don't know what to expect from myself here'', the former UK Open champion said realistically.

Noppert decided to use the free period to go on vacation with his family. 'The Freeze' stayed in the Netherlands and left for Limburg. "Could those kids climb and scramble and we could unwind. That's not easy with such a crowded darts calendar AND two small children at home."

Last season, Noppert had a solid year including a Pro Tour title, but an absolute highlight was missing. Perhaps this season Noppert can regain the form of 2022, when he won a televised tournament and went on to reach two semifinals and two quarterfinals at the majors. "I try to improve every year, but I don't always succeed. I may have to do more for it, put more time into it. I'm already trying to do that as much as possible. It's also extra difficult with two small children."

In the draw for the Dutch Darts Masters, Noppert was paired with former world champion Gerwyn Price. ''He didn't have a top year either,'' Noppert knows. At the last World Championships 'The Iceman' showed he is on his way back with a quarterfinal place and last week Price reached the final of the Bahrain Darts Masters. Nevertheless, Noppert is not unhappy with his draw. "I can take it, that shouting. It just motivates me."