Van Barneveld discusses World Darts Championship return: "I expect a lot but I don't know if it's realistic"

Raymond van Barneveld, in his comeback year, has secured participation in the World Darts Championship, which takes place in December at Alexandra Palace.

Van Barneveld conquered a Tour Card at the beginning of the year and not much later immediately won a Players Championship title. "That title came unexpectedly, I really didn't take that into account at all. But the rest of the year was difficult. Due to corona, the planning was often uncertain and I am a player who has to live towards tournaments", said 'Barney' at NOS.nl.

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Private Perils

The 54-year-old Dutchman was also plagued by private troubles. "A friend of my father's called me and said he hadn't heard from my father in a while. Whether I knew what was wrong. Then I saw that he hadn't come online on WhatsApp for a few days. So then I went to my father like crazy. There I found him confused on the couch. He had suffered a stroke. Thank God it all turned out okay."

"That happened on a Sunday and on Monday morning I had to go back to England to play," Van Barneveld continued. "So I hesitated and called my mother. She said I should just go and that they would take care of Dad. But you will understand: then you are not playing well in England. I flew out early every day and when I had to mark after a game, the light went out."

Van Barneveld still doesn't know the cause of his faintness. "It had nothing to do with my diabetes; my sugar levels were stable. The stress, the guilt. It just became too much for me, I think. After that, I still lived in fear for a few months, wondering what it was. A month later I felt unwell again at a tournament in Germany and I withdrew as a precaution. Fortunately, things are going pretty well now. But you notice that the sport demands more and more of you and you are not getting any younger.

With great ambition towards the World Championship

The five-time former world champion has not yet played a TV tournament since the UK Open this year. "At the end of November I play the Players Championship Finals. And I hope to qualify for the Grand Slam of Darts in mid-November, but that won't be easy. I'm also almost certainly qualified for the World Championship and I expect a lot from that. But I don't know whether it is realistic ... I'm not going to beat my chest and say: I'll do this. I had that years ago. The belief is there, but I don't think it's appropriate to say now that I'm going for the World title."

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