“They’re already saying I might as well skip day one” – Wessel Nijman won all four of his floor titles this year on day two

Wessel Nijman is currently enjoying an impressive run on the floor. In a short span, the Dutchman claimed two Players Championship events, taking his tally to four floor titles already this year. The form is simply there, and he notices it himself too.

“Yes, we said to each other: as long as we keep calling each other, things will go well,” Nijman told Viaplay. “But apparently it can also work once without calling.”

Notably, Nijman tends to excel especially on the second day of play. Somehow, that’s when he really seems to hit top gear. “I think those tournaments were quite similar,” he explained, referring to his two recent victories. “But the last one maybe felt just that bit nicer, because it was the second day again.”

The numbers back up his feeling. “I think I’ve now played five second days and reached five finals,” he continued. “So they’re already saying: you might as well skip the first day and start straight on the second day.”

The final against Jermaine Wattimena not only delivered sporting drama, but also debate. Before the match, Nijman faced several striking bouncers during the bull-off.

“There have already been some reports about those new boards,” he said. “That darts sometimes fall out. I’d already had it that same day on the bullseye, and in the match against Jermaine it happened again. This time even twice before we had even started.”

The exact cause remains unclear to him. “On the replay I can’t quite tell if it really hits the wire or the middle of the bull,” he explained. “But it was on the floor twice anyway.” According to Nijman, there could be several reasons: “Maybe it’s bad luck, maybe a poor batch of boards. I’ve also heard that if a board has been left outside too long and is cold, this happens more easily. Honestly, I’m not too sure.”

Nijman is not the only player affected. Gary Anderson also voiced criticism that day. Nijman can now laugh about it: “I had a bouncer on the bull against Anderson as well. It was my dart, but he even said it before I got to the board.”

Finally, Nijman was confronted with a quirky streak: tournament wins in four different host cities – Hildesheim, Wigan, Leicester, and Milton Keynes. “Four wins and four different places, yes,” he responded matter-of-factly. “I happened to see that pop up too. That’s a nice stat.”