Raymond van Barneveld has been around in the darts world for over thirty years. Through the years he has seen a lot of different figures pass by.
Van Barneveld cites the example of Callan Rydz as someone who keeps more to themselves. L"That's a very special guy, with whom it's almost impossible to make contact. On the Pro and Euro Tour you walk past each other and then you don't get a 'hello' or 'goodbye'. He's completely in his own world," Van Barneveld said to the podcast Dartpraat. "It's not necessarily a young generation thing. Even 'old-timers' like Andrew Gilding and Ryan Joyce close and isolate themselves."
That same Rydz previously got involved in a minor altercation with the Maik Kuivenhoven, when he barely wanted to shake hands with the Dutchman after a defeat. "I don't approve of that. I also had a hand from him once, that he looked away as if I was air."
Still, the 57-year-old Van Barneveld also understands that the younger guard behaves differently. "It's a new batch of people. They isolate themselves completely. Littler too," the five-time world champion explains. "That boy is just coming through, but is always on his phone. Earplugs in. Even when throwing in. Then you indicate right away that you don't want to be bothered."