Raymond van Barneveld during his long and illustrious career has seen a differing standard and as part of his interview with The Darts Show podcast ahead of the Grand Slam of Darts, he spoke about how it has changed.
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"Normally in the 1980s if you had an 85 average you never could lose, in the 90s if you had a 90 average, you never could lose," said Van Barneveld to The Darts Show podcast.
"Now you are losing with 100 averages. I remember against Scott Mitchell [last month] I had a 101 average and I lost 6-5.
"There are people losing with 109 and 111 [averages]. What is this all about? It is hitting your doubles first, but if you don't win the bull, sometimes you could be in trouble.
"The likes of Peter Wright, Gary Anderson last week - all of these players were there. Jonny Clayton who is in massive form, he didn't win a Pro Tour last week.
"I think Peter Wright's best result last week was a second round. Michael [van Gerwen] is not winning them all. That says enough of the quality of the players at the moment."
There isn't any expectations though on the part of the doyen of Dutch darts who is just glad to be back in action at the Grand Slam and then World Championship.
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"I feel I have nothing to lose. I'm not going to say I'm going to win this tournament or I'm going to the Worlds or the Players Championship," he said.
"I'm just happy to be back on the biggest stage. This is what it's all about. I missed it. The Grand Slam of Darts is a great opportunity.
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
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