A Long Road to Antwerp
“It took a few years of development, really since Covid. Interest was strongly stimulated,” he explained. “I sat down with VTM, with a few bosses, and directly connected them with Matthew Porter. By the end of that week, darts was being broadcast on Belgian TV. From then on, it just kept growing.”
The numbers speak for themselves. “Ten thousand people here today. That’s the result. That’s fantastic.” And the atmosphere? It was electric. “They did the Mexican Wave a few times. I thought, after one or two times they’d be done. No, it kept going for a quarter of an hour. I thought, what is all this? Amazing.”
No Belgian on the Stage
Despite the excitement, the absence of a Belgian player on stage was noticeable. “Last year we had two major winners in Belgium, Mike De Decker and myself. I also had a very good year on the majors. But for some reason, it wasn’t meant to be. I certainly found that disappointing.”
Van den Bergh faces a crucial year defending prize money, risking a significant drop in the world rankings.
“The miserable feeling continues for now,” he admitted. “I’m working enormously hard on it. I have my medical team, I’m trying everything to get myself back to where I seek to be, to where I dream of. But for now, I’m still firmly stuck.”
Van den Bergh needs to defend important results, including his UK Open title from two years ago and strong performances in other major tournaments. “I’m far away from the majors and I have some to defend. The UK Open, for example. Other tournaments where I performed well. There’s a good chance I’ll drop.”
He pointed out that not every tournament counts towards the world rankings. “The World Cup of Darts, for example, doesn’t count towards the ranking. But I’ve done well in enough other tournaments. I have to defend those.”
His goal for this year is surprisingly modest, yet revealing: “To be honest? I hope to still have my Tour Card at the end of the year. So I can continue working on myself.”
The Mental Battle
Van den Bergh emphasized that the problem isn’t technical. “I can still throw 15-darters, 11-darters, high finishes. I can still do all that. It’s not in the darts, not in the training. It’s purely mental.” He corrected himself after using the word ‘just.’ “That wasn’t a good choice of words. It’s not ‘just’ mental. It’s incredibly tough to stay among the best of the best.”
He traditionally struggles on the floor – the Pro Tour tournaments without a crowd – while thriving on the big stage at televised majors. “I was always able to perform well at the majors. Why that was so easy, I don’t even grasp. But on the floor it was always a big challenge. The board hangs just as high, is just as far away, but it felt different.”
When asked where things are going wrong, he’s honest: “Welcome to my world, guys. I don’t know that myself at the moment.” But he isn’t standing still. “If you don’t know it yourself, you need to seek help. Professional people. And I’m working on that.”
He realizes that modern darts requires more than just good throwing. “A healthy lifestyle is a big factor. That gives you so much more energy. I think as a darter you have to take all aspects around your sport much more seriously.”
He cited Gerwyn Price as an example. “He’s tackling it fantastically. That’s something darters should look at much more. The Tour is grueling. You get so many opportunities, but you have to be physically and mentally ready for them.”
Lost Enjoyment
Perhaps the most poignant moment of the conversation came when asked if he still enjoys playing darts. “Not for myself at the moment,” he said softly. “That hurts a lot. That I can’t feel that enjoyment right now, that it doesn’t make me happy. I’ve had that for years.”
He knows what’s at stake. “If you’re no longer having fun, it stops quickly. And if you then have to travel while feeling so much pain, you exit with a feeling of: this isn’t great.”
However, there’s no sense of resignation, only determination. “Why wouldn’t I be able to reach that level again? It would be crazy to say now that I’ll never be able to throw that well again.” His words leave little doubt: he’s not finished. “I want to come back stronger than before. That’s the most important thing.”
