“When your mind isn't there, you shouldn't go too deep into it” – Max Hopp opens up about a difficult period away from the PDC

Max Hopp is back at the highest level of darts, but the German has been through a turbulent period. The former European Tour event winner lost his PDC Tour Card and disappeared from the professional circuit for several years.

It was not so much a lack of talent as events in his personal life that pushed darts into the background for a while. Hopp has since rediscovered his enjoyment of the sport and is looking to the future with confidence.

In an extensive interview with Tungsten Tales, the 30-year-old German talks about his absence, his work as a television analyst and the difficulties he faced on his return. He also shares his admiration for the PDC’s growth and the opportunities available to darts players today.

Hopp made his breakthrough in darts at a young age and was a regular on the PDC Pro Tour for years. But after seven or eight seasons at the top level, he went through a period in which he lost his motivation. Interestingly, the German did not find losing his Tour Card particularly difficult.

"I'll be dead honest: it wasn't really difficult for me," he said. "After being on the tour constantly for seven or eight years, always away and having literally put all my youth into the sport, things happened in my private life, with my family and stuff like that. I just had different priorities. The game wasn't there, and I didn't have the same pleasure in competing."

Hopp does not want to go into detail about what happened in his family, but makes clear that the experience changed how he viewed his life. “At that time, everything happened in my direction. I'd never been to funerals or really experienced very bad things, so I'd always had good times and good moments.”

The German had already enjoyed many special experiences at a young age. He played in major televised tournaments, won a European Tour title and was given the chance to compete as a wildcard at the US Darts Masters in Las Vegas. “I'm still thankful that the PDC sent me to Las Vegas for the US Darts Masters as a wildcard. I got to experience some great things.”

Hopp believes darts players should not keep competing at all costs when they are not mentally ready to perform. He knew his ability had not simply disappeared, but also realised that he first needed to put other things in order. “The talent was there and the throw was there, but when your mind isn't there, you shouldn't go too deep into it. You should look after your well-being in the first place, and your family, because there's one thing you can't buy: time. Sometimes you need to prioritise that.”

Hopp says he did not run into financial difficulties. He had set aside enough money during his career and also found a new challenge as a television analyst. “I've always looked after my savings and things like that, so I didn't struggle financially throughout those years. I found a new role as a pundit for German television."

That allowed him to stay involved in darts, even when he was no longer competing at the highest level himself. “I was around at a couple of tournaments. I always made sure I was stable with my income, but I wasn't able to compete in the same way because my thoughts were elsewhere.”

The German stresses that losing a Tour Card does not have to mean the end of a career. In his view, players with enough ability can always return, provided they are willing to commit themselves fully. “Once you've had the level to compete and you have the mindset that you want to compete in the first place, you're always going to make it.”

Hopp believes players should focus on solutions rather than problems. “If you're looking for solutions, don't create problems. Look for solutions, look ahead to your future, make yourself a strict plan and stick to it.”

He cites Adrian Lewis as an example. The two-time world champion has been away from the PDC Pro Tour for some time. “I'm pretty sure I would put £1,000 on the table right now to say Adrian Lewis could come back and have a great first year on tour, easily, if he wanted to.”

Hopp does, however, add an important caveat. “He has the talent, but he needs to have the feeling that he wants to compete. Then he's always going to make it.”

Although Hopp always believed in his own ability, his return was not without setbacks. The German initially wanted to win back his Tour Card a year earlier, but failed to qualify at Q-School. “I'd actually planned to come back a year earlier, but it didn't click. I remember playing Corey Cadby at Q-School and beating him, then losing to someone I'd never heard of before in the following game."

According to Hopp, this shows just how high the standard has become, even outside the PDC Pro Tour. “After a while, you realise that a 93 average sometimes isn't enough to win a game, even at Q-School.”

After his unsuccessful attempt, Hopp had to turn his attention to the Challenge Tour. It proved a bigger challenge than he had expected. “I'd planned to come back a year earlier, but I then spent a year on the Challenge Tour experiencing things like that. I must say I couldn't really motivate myself because I was used to playing for different amounts of money. I was playing there, I think, two games just to win some prize money and then increase it from there.”

The German has gained great respect for players trying to work their way up through that circuit. “It's a really hard tour, and I have respect for every player who goes through it.”

Hopp says the Challenge Tour is now fiercely competitive. He is therefore in favour of plans to increase the prize money and possibly change the circuit’s format. “There is way too much talent on the tour, so you should put those things up a little bit as well.”

Hopp eventually managed to win back his Tour Card. “It was a joyful feeling, I must say. I'd actually planned to come back a year earlier, but it didn't click.”

During his time away, Hopp discovered he could also have a future in the sport away from the oche. Alongside his work for German television, he was asked to join British darts broadcasts as an analyst.

He worked with Chris Mason and Dan Dawson, among others, during the European Championship. “I really, really like it, to be fair. I worked for Matchroom and got a call-up from them. It was a pleasure being alongside them.”

Hopp is particularly impressed by how major darts events are produced today. “The direction their production team is heading in is brilliant. If you saw the walkway they put in for the games, they actually put a bull finish on it, and the cameras go through it during the match."

He also relished working with his British colleagues. “Being alongside Chris Mason and Dan Dawson, who also have so much knowledge about the sport, and talking about players' situations and the games, especially from a player's perspective, is great.”

His experience as a professional darts player is a major asset. “You can talk about how players are going to feel and how the draw might develop in a particular direction. It's a real honour, and it was great to do.”

Working in a second language can sometimes be difficult. “Sometimes I have a little language barrier. Even though I come here quite a lot, I try to pick things up. I try to pick up a bit of the dialect here and there. It's not always 100 per cent straightforward, and sometimes I'm searching for a certain word."

The German is even trying to master different British dialects. "I actually try to learn Scouse. You can always improve here and there, but maybe it's also okay that my English isn't perfectly British in every term."

For now, though, Hopp has no plans to make a permanent move behind the microphone. “My first priority is being a good player. I know I can be very authentic and close to people because that's in my DNA. That doesn't take training for me; it's just there. It's a natural gift. Why not do something with it alongside my darts career or afterwards?"

Hopp also used his time away from the PDC to work on other projects. He teamed up with a German footwear manufacturer to develop a specialist darts shoe called Triple 20. “We were thinking that every sport has a specific shoe. There's basketball and football, but you don't have one for darts, right?”

Stability was the main focus during development. “It's like a bowling shoe. It's quite heavy, but the more you lean over towards the dartboard, the less it affects your stability. We obviously didn't want it to have too much of a [unclear] look, so we tried to work out a different system, which works quite well. You can get closer to the board, too.”

Hopp is also still thinking of new ways to make darts more appealing to the public. The recent Netflix show Beat Luke Littler gave him an idea. “I watched that Luke Littler Netflix thing and thought, why not do something with smaller players?”

He has in mind matches where amateurs take on a well-known professional player. “You play 20 legs, and the winner gets £501 against me, Dave Chisnall or whoever, instead of £501,000.”

Hopp believes fans might be willing to pay for a chance like that. “t's not the same as the big event, but it could be something people buy into. They could say, "I'll pay £50 for a leg against him," or £80, whatever it might be.”

With his return to the PDC Pro Tour, Hopp is focused once again on his own performances. The German is also hugely optimistic about the growth of professional darts. He believes players have more opportunities than ever to build successful careers. “The professional tour I'm currently playing on is in a very, very good place. We have great prize money and great people working behind the scenes.”

Hopp also praised Barry Hearn, Eddie Hearn and PDC director Matt Porter. “If you look at what Barry Hearn and his son Eddie are doing, or how Matt Porter approaches his job, it's impressive. He was one of the youngest CEOs to come into the sporting world, and look at how he's dealt with situations and problems that have come his way. He's always looking for solutions.”

Hopp says players benefit directly from that work. “The PDC is doing a hell of a job in terms of venues, set-up, streaming and how they approach the players. What the PDPA offers is an incredibly good service for players.”

He sees plenty of opportunities for young players too, while stressing that success takes discipline. “So practise a lot, make yourself a big name in the world of darts, and great things will come your way.”

Hopp believes his age could work in his favour. “'m only 30 years of age. I wouldn't say that's old! I've heard men peak once they get older. Experience makes us more mature, and obviously gives us a lot of self-confidence because we've been through a lot of things.”

The German therefore expects his darts career to continue for a long time yet. “I think the peak time is the next 10 years because the sport is only going in one direction, and that's up.”

After his early breakthrough, his successes on the European Tour and his temporary departure from the top level, Hopp looks back on his career with gratitude. “I've turned my hobby into a job, into a profession, and I'm very thankful for that. Whatever comes my way, I'm happy. I can still look back on more than 10 years of experience, with highs and lows, and there's still more to come.”