"You cannot be playing like this on the floor and things will not happen on big stages" – Wessel Nijman believes in breaking major duck

Wessel Nijman could barely hide it afterwards. The release, the smile, the look of pure satisfaction – everything spoke volumes. The Dutchman had just added another Players Championship title to his name, securing his first floor title of 2026. And the manner of it may have impressed even more than the win itself. Nijman also looked ahead and set himself one major target: delivering on the big stage.

Anyone who followed Nijman last year knows he already captured two such titles in 2025. But the hunger is far from sated. On the contrary. In Wigan he underlined with his latest triumph – an 8-7 victory in the final over Gerwyn Price – that his development is accelerating.

The showdown with Price was one of exceptional quality. Price, who earlier in the day had thrashed Michael van Gerwen 6-0 in what Nijman described as “a phenomenal match”, was in red-hot form. That hadn’t escaped Nijman.

“Yeah, I already read in the group chats, because when I play the tournament I read the WhatsApp panel, and I saw Gerwyn playing Michael and beating him 6-0 in a phenomenal match,” he said.

“But I also knew it was eventually the final. And to be honest, if I reach a final when someone plays like that, I’m already happy, to be honest. I’m really happy I gave him a game and I was the winner in the end.”

Even so, Nijman did not go into the final overawed. The match itself swung back and forth, with both men producing heavy scoring and clinical finishing under pressure.

A pivotal moment came in the eleventh leg. Price produced a superb 121 checkout to break and ratchet up the tension. For a moment, the momentum appeared to shift.

“Yeah, I thought the lucky thing was that he didn’t hold his leg right there, because otherwise the game would have been gone,” Nijman said. “So I’m really happy I took my leg until then, and then I took my own leg when we were 7-7.”

That resilience defined his performance. While Price kept pressing, Nijman stayed composed and delivered at the crucial moments.

What made the tournament win extra valuable was the way Nijman carried himself throughout the day. He was dominant when possible, but had to dig deep when required.

“Yeah, as I said, I’m really happy with the way I played today,” he reflected. “On my board, it didn’t push me to the end, to be honest, but when we got into the real games, I had to show my best and I’m really happy I did.”

That blend – scoring power, resilience and composure – is making him a more complete player. Against a player who had dismantled Van Gerwen earlier in the day, belief was essential. Nijman had it.

The victory also strengthens his ranking position, and Nijman is clear about the pathway he has mapped out for himself.

“When I got the Tour Card, the main goal was to keep my Tour Card, just keep it to the top 64,” he explained. “And then I reset it to 32 and now I’m in the top 32. I’m resetting it to the top 16 and I think I am close to the top 24 now, but I want to improve a lot. I want to be in the top 16 and I want to improve on big games.”

It is a measured but ambitious approach: achieve one target, then raise the bar.

The obvious next question is whether this level can now transfer consistently to the televised majors. Nijman himself has no doubts.

“Yeah, I said it in Dutch television interviews as well,” he said. “I said, you cannot be playing like this on the floor and things will not happen on big stages. So I’m not really worried about not performing on big stages. I think it’s just a matter of time.”

The Players Championship action continues in Wigan next week, but for now, Nijman has already laid down a significant early marker for 2026.