"There’ll be a different Nathan on the stage this year” - Aggressive Aspinall says fist-bumping days are over

Nathan Aspinall has received quite a bit of criticism lately. Not only because of his somewhat contentious selection for the 2025 Premier League Darts, but also for being too friendly on stage to some of his opponents.

Aspinall, who is in the same management group as Luke Littler and Chris Dobey, admits he sometimes struggles to get aggressive against his good friends. "It is tough [playing Littler]. I pretty much get on with everyone, but I showed him too much respect that night." Aspinall told says in an interview for Reach’s darts 2025 preview publication, referencing his PDC World Darts Championship quarterfinal with Littler.

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“That’s the only thing I do agree with on social media, because I got a bit of criticism for being too nice. I do agree with that and I’m going to make a conscious effort [not to be]. I’m not just talking about playing Luke. I’m going to be playing him and Chris a lot this year. I’ve got to make sure I keep the friendships in the practice room," Aspinall continues. “When I get on that stage, I need to show aggression. At the end of the day, I’m there for myself. You’ve seen with the [Premier League] announcement and the criticism I’ve had [from players like Dave Chisnall and Mike De Decker]. People who I classed as my mates have said stuff about me. Obviously [they’re] not [mates]. They’re all out for themselves and that’s how I’m going to be this year.”

Aspinall just isn't the kind of player to not show any respect however. “Listen, if I miss three darts at 32 and someone pings 164, then I’ll say ‘fair play’, that’s the type of guy I am," he explains. "But if a guy takes out 101 to win a set against me, I won’t be fish-bumping him, nah. It’s a bit weak of me, doing stuff like that. I have processed a lot that has happened over the last few weeks and I’ve learnt from it. There’ll be a different Nathan on the stage this year.”  

Aspinall struggled with an arm injury over the past year, but has been working on his mental health for some time. "Everything is fine with the elbow, On the mental health side, I’ve got a hypnotherapist and a sports psychologist, who’ve I’ve worked with for three years. It’s helped me massively. The hypnotherapy is to deal with dartitis more than anything. There are still little bits of it in my game but compared to three months ago, it’s night and day," he concludes. “He’s [the hypnotherapist] been working with a few other players as well. I was a bit annoyed about that – I thought I was the only one! Seriously, it’s doing wonders for me. I’m going to continue to work dead hard behind the scenes and hopefully, this year is the best year I’ve ever had.”  

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