Van Barneveld blames flu for World Championship disappointment: "When your nose is stuffed up and you can't breathe, you don't have the strength to play your game"

For Raymond van Barneveld, the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship ended in a big disappointment. The 57-year-old Dutchman lost immediately in his opening match 3-0 to Welshman Nick Kenny.

A few days after his defeat, Van Barneveld looks back on his World Championship disappointment in conversation with AD.nl. "I am completely off the map. I am deeply ashamed of this performance."

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'Barney' had been suffering from the flu for several days leading up to the World Championship. "I've had it for three days, but didn't want to mention it on television. Then people think: he has that as an excuse again. I took vitamins, cough medicine, lozenges.... Every morning when I woke up, I had a throat like you hear it now. But in a hotel room you can't say: I'll take a bucket and steam," says Van Barneveld. "All the energy is out. You look forward to this all year, for days you deliberately don't shake hands and do everything you can to not get sick and then you get sick. Then you're not just a grandfather, you're a grandfather. And yes, then people will say: that's him again. But when your nose is stuffed up and you can barely breathe, you don't have the strength to play your game. Right here."

Raymond van Barneveld had to drop out of the World Darts Championship immediately

"I was up, physically completely drained," Van Barneveld continued. "I didn't have the strength to turn the tide. I felt no fighting spirit, just let it happen to me. I thought: please throw those doubles, then I can go to bed."

Does Van Barneveld doubt the continuation of his career after this defeat? "Beforehand I said: if I do not have the feeling that I can still win, what is the reason to continue? But that feeling was there. You never know how it would have gone without the flu, but after last night I have to think hard again if I want to suffer another year. I don't think I'm looking forward to that very much."

"But I have to keep going. There is no alternative. What can you do? Play the MODUS Super Series for 750 pounds? If I stop, I lose sponsors and prize money, then I don't know if I can live the same life with Julia as I do now. You have more freedom, but freedom costs money, because you want to do fun things. You are no longer high-profile when you stop. Nobody is waiting for a 57-year-old Van Barneveld. So I understand that people say: why is he doing it to himself? But nobody knows my financial situation."

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Van Barneveld has had to learn to deal with disappointments in recent years, much more so than in the past. "You talk to me now after the most important tournament of the year, but I'm like that throughout the year after Pro Tours, Euro Tours and majors. Forty to fifty times couple of years you get that boxing glove on your nose. Then there has been one day in Hildesheim that you win, but then you ask yourself: is this all worth it? Now I would say not, because you're not making any strides, but I also immediately talked to Ben de Kok (his sponsor, ed.) and he said: just keep going, I'm going to help you."

But then things have to change. "Kilos have to come off, I have to get fitter and also get my diabetes better under control," Van Barneveld said. "I've recently been to the hospital and at the end of January I'll get tests, because there's 'sugar' in my eye. I have constant problems with that. I don't see sharply and it causes energy loss. There will be tests at the end of January. I already heard scary things like injections in my eye. That's not something I look forward to, but my eyes and hands are my tools. They have to be good."

Despite everything, Van Barenveld also sees a little light at the end of the tunnel. "I'm sure there's still something in it with me, although 99 percent of people will say there isn't. I know what I throw when I am practicing for the World Cup with Jermaine Wattimena, Wesley Plaisier and Gian van Veen. But again: then I have to live healthier, exercise more and create more energy. If I think next year: I can't do it anymore? Then I'm not going to hurt myself unnecessarily like last night."  

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