Van den Bergh on being too happy on the oche: "If I make it too hard on myself I'm going to stand there with too much stress"

Dimitri Van den Bergh , you either love him or you hate him, you sometimes hear. The 28-year-old Belgian was active at the Premier League Darts in Rotterdam last Thursday.

It is striking, Van den Bergh has been playing with a huge grin on his face lately. Something that sometimes begins to irritate opponents. "Where does that irritation come from? Especially that laughter, they say. Why is he always so happy? Even when he loses, he is happy. He is always smiling, for whatever reason. But every person is different, every professional player is different," Van den Bergh told De Telegraaf.

"If I always make it too difficult for myself, I will be under too much stress. Putting myself down. What will that bring me towards the future? Nothing at all. So I will continue to enjoy myself.

"But be aware: if I lose I'm like: no win again, I couldn't do it again. My goal was to win one round every match day of the Premier League. That has gone downhill since week four and gives a frustrating feeling, because I expected a little more from myself."

With four match days to go until the play-offs, Van den Bergh is currently sixth in the Premier League standings. "I especially want to beat Michael (van Gerwen, ed.) and Price, because they have beaten me so many times in those good matches. But I keep striving for that chance. I always tell Michael: next time I'll get you. I keep believing in it."

Van den Bergh notices that darts is becoming increasingly popular in Belgium. "I have already met many Belgian fans during the Premier League. The fact that people really travel for it is special. That is really new. Darts in Belgium has become really big in the last two years. The last two Euro Tours were directly sold out. Everything is on TV now, so it keeps growing."

"It would be cool to be able to play evenings like this in my home country. Because I am impressed every time, as we can now play in a full stadium like Ahoy. In the past I have already played here by invitation . Then I heard the "Barney Army". That has nothing to do with me, but it really gives me goosebumps. He's a five-time world champion, so you know: the public loves this man. Those are things I would like later on. That they sing for you, too crazy for words, a childhood dream come true.”

Van den Bergh keeps his feet on the ground. "I don't get knocked over, but I am recognized everywhere," says van den Bergh, who lives in Leicester with fellow darts player Damon Heta. "My dream was to become a professional, but I had no idea what it entailed. seconds of your time you make people happy. Well, I'm just someone who can throw a good arrow. But I don't feel like a music artist, actor or well-known Flemish person."