"The World Championship was extremely frustrating. Things didn’t go well leading into it” – Niko Springer speaks candidly about difficult months and his fresh start

Niko Springer celebrated a hard-fought opening win at the German Darts Grand Prix 2026. The German edged compatriot Jan Schmidt 6-5 in a last-leg decider on Saturday evening at Zenith Munich to book his place in round two. Waiting there is none other than Michael van Gerwen.

Despite the victory, Springer was his typically self-critical self afterwards. Following an intense all-German clash, he focused less on the win and more on his own display. “Everyone knows I’m pretty self-critical,” he explained in an exclusive interview with DartsNews (YouTube). “I didn’t think I played that well—not at all. I’m just happy that I won, and I know I can do a lot more.”

The current season, however, speaks well for the 25-year-old. Two last-16 runs on the Pro Tour and a quarterfinal on the European Tour already underline his solid early form. Springer himself also views the trajectory positively — despite minor statistical dips compared to last year.

“I would say the results are much better than last year. The statistics aren’t that good,” he assessed. “But in the end, what counts are the results. That gives me a good feeling. I know I can do a lot more, but at the moment everything feels right and I’m heading in the right direction."

It is no coincidence that Springer looks more stable again. After an exceptionally strong first Tour Card year in 2025, his surprise first-round exit at the 2026 World Darts Championship lingered with him.

“I don’t think I need to go into too much detail. The World Championship was extremely frustrating,” Springer said candidly. "Things didn’t go well leading into it either. It was very difficult after that."

Even during that spell, he deliberately stuck to his chosen path. Instead of making wholesale changes, Springer focused on rediscovering his strengths. “I always tried to believe in myself—my ambitions and my performances. It wasn’t easy, but I kept trusting what I had shown before. Other players might change a lot of things, but for me it’s not about the setup—flights, barrels, or anything like that."

This return to basics proved a crucial step back toward greater stability. "It’s about me, and working on myself. I think I’m on the right path right now. It’s a bit shaky at the moment, but I believe it will get better over time."

The narrow win at Zenith Munich could therefore prove an important building block in that process. The clash with van Gerwen is the next major test — and also a chance to further confirm the positive trend on the European Tour.