Aileen de Graaf won two WDF tournaments in Catalonia at the beginning of the month.
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The 30-year-old Dutchwoman couldn't play in Selsey though at the England Open and National Singles due to travel rules.
"I wanted to go so badly but if I go England, I first have to do a test in the Netherlands and then I have to do my second day test and then when I go back I have to do a test. When I'm in the Netherlands, I also have to do a test and have to stay 10 days at home. So I can't afford it, also with the children, I can't stay at home for 10 days," said De Graaf to the Inside the WDF podcast.
"Normally I always go to Selsey but I couldn't do it."
She has been qualified for a while for Lakeside at the start of 2022 but wants to continue the momentum due to seedings. But on the venue itself, she also discussed her dislike for it.
"It takes a little bit of pressure off but you want to stay high in the rankings because you have seeding. So you have to play the tournaments because I don't want to get Fallon (Sherrock) in the first round or Deta (Hedman)."
"I don't like Lakeside. It's the name, you have a lot of pressure on the Lakeside. You see Deta won every tournament you can think about and the Lakeside she hasn't won. I don't like the Lakeside, the pressure, you want to win that tournament."
These travel rules have also made it difficult for De Graaf to embark on the PDC Women's Series but she is seemingly trying to make a special effort to get over to the UK.
"I had booked in Germany but it was cancelled. So I didn't put myself on the list for playing that weekend but I first have to sort all the stuff out because of all the tests. We have three tournaments on that day and I have to do a test really early on that day so I don't know if I can do the test and still be on time for my games.
"So I have to first sort that out really quick and I have to work something out with the Covid rules in the Netherlands. I hope I can go. 90% I will go but 10% I'm not sure."
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
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OUT NOW | Episode 65!
Guests 🗣️:
@NDuffers180
Aileen de Graaf
😲 Neil's message to the other top WDF players
📊 Deliberately avoiding Andy Fordham's record
😅 Aileen's main issues with Lakeside
Listen now 👇
open.spotify.com/episode/28ymaa…