VIDEO | "I have nothing to lose" - Niko Springer is looking forward to taking part in the Pro Tour

Niko Springer made his debut at the PDC World Darts Championship on Thursday evening, where he played his first round match against Scott Williams. The German talent did not manage to emerge victorious though, losing out to Shaggy 1-3 in sets after a cracking contest.

Despite the defeat, with an average of 98.92, seven 180s and eleven 140s, Springer showed that he is a force to be reckoned with. Although his performance was impressive, the German youngster admitted in the subsequent press conference that he was not as calm as he appeared to be.

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"Of course I was very excited before the game - it was my first time," he said. "I was here in the hall yesterday and got a bit of a feel for the atmosphere. We were backstage the whole time and then came out the 9-Darter (from Christian Kist). I could practically hear the whole volume and was of course a bit shocked at first. I heard that it was already very loud, but I didn't know it was that loud."

On stage, however, Springer felt the volume was very different to that in the auditorium. "But I have to say, I didn't find it that extremely loud on stage. It was actually the same as on the European Tour. A tick louder, of course - small hall, lots of people in it," he compared. "Overall, it was important to me that I sold myself well, that I could transfer that a bit from the practice board into the game. I think I managed that in phases," he continued.

In the third set, Springer narrowly missed the bullseye twice to win the leg. "I'm not known for hitting the bull really often, but just four or five darts, they were very close," said Springer, commenting on his double rate of 23.3 percent. "I think that made a bit of a difference., but I felt comfortable and I think I played a good game overall."

Niko Springer

"Of course I would have liked to get further," he continued, "but maybe next year or over next year. I think I still have a lot ahead of me and I'm definitely enjoying the moment, even if I'm finding it difficult at the moment."

Apart from the missed throws on the bullseye, the fact that Springer had to take a few bounce outs could also have been a decisive factor in the outcome of the match. The most bitter thing was probably that he lost a dart on the treble 20 in two consecutive shots, meaning he could only score 120 instead of 180. However, Springer didn't necessarily think that was the reason why he lost his match: "Scott did really well too, he was always there at the right moments. He hit the doubles when he had to. I wouldn't put it down to the bounces, although - as I said - I'm not known for always hitting them. But yes, Scott did really well and I didn't stop in the difficult moments."

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During the match, Williams played with the crowd, made jokes and even threw a no-look 180. If Williams thought he could influence Springer with this, he didn't succeed: "I definitely noticed it. I thought it was a bit extreme, especially in the first two legs, but I've learned from the last few years (in his matches on the European Tour; ed.) and I kept telling myself: 'Here, stick to yourself and don't get involved in any games. I knew in advance that he was more of an extrovert. Of course I was prepared for it in advance. That's why it didn't really affect me and especially the first set, which actually went quite well. That's why I think there's a reason why he stayed on stage (during the interval)."

The young German talent is now also highly regarded by the press and is seen as a player who will have a great future with the PDC. Something Springer has already noticed: "I often hear that I'm somehow the biggest German talent or something. Of course it's very nice to hear that, it's such a confirmation for me too. I really appreciate it," said the MeenzerBub.

However, this does not cause the darter from Siefersheim to lose his down-to-earth attitude. "Ultimately, it doesn't affect me that much," he said. "You have to say, of course, I'm new to the whole circuit now. Of course, there might be critics at some point who might criticize something, but at the moment I can actually ignore this pressure. Of course, I didn't know what it was going to be like today, the whole thing. Of course, there's been a lot going on with the media and everything in the last few weeks."

"I'm not really worried about the future," he continued. "I'm just excited to see what's in store for me. Pressure from outside has never bothered me."

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Springer finished the Development Tour Order of Merit in second place and thus secured his Tour Card for the next two years. In contrast to the last few years, when Springer attended Q-School but dropped out early before he could get the Tour Card, he will now take it and be seen on the Pro Tour.

"I definitely plan to play the whole tour," said Springer, giving an insight into his plans." I'm going to reduce my working hours. I didn't want to do that for a long time. It was always important to me: school, training - and then I still have time for darts. Now I finished my apprenticeship last year in October and still didn't want to go on the TourCard this year, but really just want to get to work and not directly say: 'I'm only here then and then'. That's also stupid. That's why it was important for me to simply take this year with me now, to be able to practically finish with everything else. Also in terms of the learning factor, I simply set my priorities differently."

"I would say that the beginning of the year was not so easy for me. I missed a lot of training, but I found that I actually got better and better from tournament to tournament. I think I took the right step and that's the most important thing. That's why I said I'd go part-time next year. I still want to have that security, just for myself."

"That way, I'm practically taking a bit of the pressure off myself, but I can still try my best to compete with the best in the world. I'm still young, I have nothing to lose."

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