"The injury is still there" - Dirk van Duijvenbode full of doubts heading to World Championship

Dirk van Duijvenbode is starting the upcoming World Darts Championship with some doubts. The 31-year-old Dutchman had to deal with a shoulder injury in recent months.

As such, Van Duijvenbode is hesitant when asked about his expectations for the upcoming World Championship. "The injury is still there," Van Duijvenbode admits to Online Darts. "I feel like my throw is getting better but the injury is not gone."

"It's challenging times. I mean, there's so much insecurity at the moment in my head. You don't know if you're going to be able to do this at a high level for the next two years. I might drop out of the top-16 in the world and from there, it gets harder."

"There's also the long-term worry that I might lose my Tour Card. I'm not afraid of that at the moment but those are the thoughts that come to your head," he continues. "I've been trying different therapies. I've had many different ones because you're just hoping that one guy finds the thing that solves it but so far, no big results.

Still, not everything is negative for Van Duijvenbode; after all, last year he became a father for the first time. "It shifts everything but it also gives you extra motivation to recover from the injury because you want to have a good life for yourself and your kids."

Van Duijvenbode is therefore heading to the World Cup with realistic expectations. "I do think of winning games, I'm not going to collect my prize money," he concludes.

The 12th-seeded Van Duijvenbode is exempt in the first round and will next meet the winner of the duel between Boris Krcmar and Keegan Brown.