Van Duijvenbode took darting break after World Darts Championship elimination: "I found it difficult to really motivate myself"

Dirk van Duijvenbode will make his debut on Friday evening at The Masters which features the top 24 in the world.

It will be the first game in a month for the Titan who lost to Gerwyn Price in the Last 16 of the PDC World Darts Championship.

"I deliberately left my darts aside for a while, because I found it difficult to really motivate myself. In the meantime, I focused on my work and played a lot of Call of Duty. After a week or two, I started throwing again. I am not in great shape yet, but I will be. I see The Masters as a warm-up tournament for the rest of the year'', he says in conversation with AD Westland.

Van Duijvenbode looked back on the World Darts Championship with mixed feelings, where he narrowly beat Boris Koltsov and Ross Smith in his first two matches. "Bad play, good result'', is how Van Duijvenbode summarised his participation. I was really not satisfied about my play during the tournament. I know I can do much better than I showed. But if you reach the last sixteen with such a game, you can't complain."

The former World Grand Prix finalist is currently ranked 15th in the world. A top-10 spot seems the next logical goal, but Van Duijvenbode doesn't dare look any further up.

"I have so much prize money to defend, that I take into account that I will drop in the world ranking. I just hope I stay in the top 20. I don't look up at the moment, I would have to win more tournaments. That is not realistic, although you never know. First I have to show myself at The Masters.

Van Duijvenbode plays Simon Whitlock in the first round of the Masters on Friday night. The winner of that match will meet world champion Peter Wright in the last sixteen.