Van Barneveld recalls food poisoning 'nightmare' prior to Meikle win: "I thought if I manage to play tonight I'm already happy"

Raymond van Barneveld came from a set down to prevail against Ryan Meikle in a 3-1 sets win with a 95 average, seven 180's and 50% on the doubles at the 2022/23 PDC World Darts Championship.

Van Barneveld recovered from horrific food poisoning which saw him and his manager laid up in bed and even getting to the stage was a minor miracle but now he takes aim at a tie with Gerwyn Price again.

"In the first set, I was thinking when does this guy stop hitting his treble 20's and he didn't miss his doubles, awesome player. I don't know what happened in the last couple of sets, what a great player," he said on Sky Sports post match to Emma Paton, Wayne Mardle and Mark Webster.

"I am so happy I won, yesterday we went to the old Chinese restaurant in Piccadilly Circus, the whole day I was in bed food poisoned, me and my manager (Ben de Kok). I never could practice today, I went here threw three darts and was tired. I was not well."

"Sometimes you have prawn crackers you don't know. My whole stomach was gone today and I thought if I manage to play tonight I'm already happy but to play like this tonight wow, this was a fight against myself."

His future wife, Julia was emotional at the end of the tie and Van Barneveld said that was due to what he has gone through in the past few days.

"She knew what I've gone through. You think wow you work so hard the past year and suddenly you get this and think come on keep on going."

But after catching COVID-19 on his last trip to London after losing to Rob Cross last year, illness is something he always hopes to avoid but admits its always there in some way.

"I'm playing really well. I believe in myself. But sometimes you have things like food poisoning. I come here in December it's always flu, sometimes you shake hands and you don't know and today was a nightmare. I am so happy that I won tonight."

After the Grand Slam of Darts, the fire seems to be back for RVB and it is night and day from when he retired against Darin Young three years ago crestfallen.

"I love this game. When I retired, I was never feeling happy. I had the things to myself and thought I'm not finished yet, there's more in the tank."