Raymond van Barneveld admits he will be asking himself, “What’s next?” This was after he lost his first match at the World Darts Championship for the second year in a row.
Van Barneveld lost 3-0 to Stefan Bellmont of Switzerland on Wednesday, making it just his second win, and is set to fall significantly from his current ranking of 35th after the tournament.
The 58-year-old has already retired from darts once in early 2020, but is back a year later and is ranked in the top 32. But he struggled to perform on the big stage, much to the annoyance of the five-time world champion.
“It’s been a very poor year for me. I need to pull myself together,” he told a Dutch TV channel. Via Play.
“It’s very difficult to answer what’s next. On the practice board, I’m a five-time world champion, maybe even a 10-time champion.
“But during the game, things don’t go my way. Why doesn’t it work? I don’t know. I can’t answer that. Really.”
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Raymond van Barneveld will compete in the 2026 World Darts Championship.
Van Barneveld has won two Players Championship events since his comeback in 2021, but has rarely been at his best at a major televised event, save for a semi-final appearance at the 2022 Grand Slam of Darts.
He added, “Of course I’m heartbroken. This is the second time something like this has happened in a row. I wonder what I should do alone.”
“I wonder what to do because suffering all kinds of defeats every week is not what I want, and that’s natural.
“He doesn’t have a tour card and he’s only won two legs. He has homework to do and he has to figure out what to do next. But this match hurts, that’s obvious.”
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Stefan Bellmont beat Raymond van Barneveld in the first round of the World Darts Championship.
Durrant: Father Time catching up with Van Barneveld
Van Barneveld, who has been a professional darts player since 1984, has not reached the quarterfinals at the World Championships since 2018.
Former Premier League Darts Champion sky sports dartsGlenn Durant said, “It’s hard to live this long,” but he expects Van Barnevelt to continue playing in 2026.
“It’s not easy to leave there. Barney will be getting great practice. I’ve seen him look really happy and in awe at the exhibition,” Durrant said.
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Take a look back at Raymond van Barneveld’s incredible nine-darter against Brendan Dolan at the 2010 World Darts Championship.
“I always have that hope and expectation. My father’s time is catching up with me. My eyesight is getting worse, and sometimes I feel sick and sick.”
“He’s going to have questions to ask himself. He’s going to have answers. He’s got a big decision to make because he retired once and came back and won a tournament.
“I can’t see Dart leaving because he’s never been in such a good place.”
Who will win the Paddy Power World Darts Championship? Watch every match live exclusively until Saturday 3 January on Sky Sports’ dedicated darts channel. Stream darts and other top sports with NOW.
