"When you're as talented and professional as he is…" - Vincent van der Voort offers Dirk van Duijvenbode key piece of advice

Dirk van Duijvenbode delivered a standout performance at last weekend’s Austrian Darts Open. The man nicknamed ‘Aubergenius’ averaged over 100 in all four of his matches, yet still fell short of claiming the title. According to former pro Vincent van der Voort, that’s precisely the kind of shortfall the 32-year-old Dutchman needs to address.

Van Duijvenbode’s tournament was a talking point on the podcast Darts Draait Door. “When you’re playing that well, you really have to go on and win it,” said Van der Voort. “He was a scoring machine - unbelievable. So going out in the quarterfinals feels underwhelming, and that’s a pity. This weekend was a golden opportunity for him to take that final step toward joining the world’s elite. So many top players pulled out, and the path was wide open.”

Van Duijvenbode was ultimately knocked out in the quarterfinals by Ross Smith, losing 6–4. But signs of trouble had already appeared in the previous round, when he became visibly frustrated with a sponsor sticker coming loose on his shirt. “If that kind of thing throws you off early in your career, fair enough,” Van der Voort said. “But by now, he should be at a point where he just pulls it off and moves on.”

“It nearly cost him the match,” Van der Voort added. “That’s the thing - he really needs to make that next step. If anything goes wrong during a match, he completely loses his rhythm. And when you're as talented and professional as he is… well, I’ve got my own limitations too. But if you can’t learn to manage them, then that’s as good as you're going to get.”

Van der Voort questioned whether Van Duijvenbode is capable of changing that mindset. “That’s just how he is, really. But he’d do well to work on it. The potential is definitely there - but if he wants to reach the top, he has to start dealing with these issues.”