Van den Bergh aiming for next major triumph: "I can prove that my victory at the World Matchplay was no fluke"

For Dimitri van den Bergh, the end of 2021 was one of two extremes. First there was the joy of the birth of his daughter Oonah. Later that month The Dreammaker had to swallow disappointment when he lost in the second round of the World Darts Championship.

The Belgian lost in the second round to Florian Hempel. Van den Bergh played a fine match with an average of 101.78, but saw his German opponent shine on the finishes.

"It was a big disappointment, because I lost but played well," Van den Bergh reflected in conversation with Sporza. "But the opponent didn't give me a chance to get into the match with his clinical doubles, that's his credit."

The quarter where Van den Bergh was in, eventually caused the most surprises at the World Darts Championship. Martijn Kleermaker, Raymond Smith and Mervyn King, among others, reached the last sixteen. The quarter was won by James Wade, who eliminated King in the last eight.

''I did get annoyed when I saw other players playing well but not coming close to the level I was at'', acknowledges The Dreammaker. ''That was hard to see, but I've been able to get over it in the meantime."

Despite the early elimination at the World Darts Championship, Van den Bergh maintained his position in the top-10 of the world rankings. The two-time World Youth champion starts the new season as number nine in the world, which kicks off on Friday night with the Masters.

The 27-year-old Belgian will take on Ian White in the first round of the Masters. Both players have never won a match at this tournament.

"Last year I was allowed to make my debut at the Masters, but then I went straight out in round one. But I never have feelings of revenge. I'm looking forward to getting started and hopefully with a good performance."

"I hope to learn a lot this year. As a father, my outlook on life is different now. The realisation that because of my job I will also have to miss out on part of the education of my child... I will have to get used to that.

What is Van den Bergh's goal for 2022? "I hope I can make another step on the world ranking. I'm ninth now, if I'm eighth at the end of the year, I'm satisfied. Of course I also want to win another major, then I can prove that my victory at the World Matchplay in 2020 was no fluke."