At the Darts World Cup in London, the big German success failed to materialize this time. There was more to it. In the future, things could become more difficult, especially for talented people with professional ambitions.
The World Cup of records quickly turned into disillusionment: Five German players had qualified for the Darts World Cup in London – more than ever before. Four of them even reached the third round. In the end, however, the disillusionment remained: In the decisive phase, which culminates in the final between Luke Humphries and Luke Littler on Wednesday evening (January 3, 2024), no one played a role.
Frustration with “Gaga” Clemens
An example of this: Gabriel Clemens. Last year’s semi-finalist rarely found his game. The German number one lost in the third round with 1:4 sets. He has to process that first: “But it’s no use if I cry or scream here. I’ll let it sink in and start darts again next year“, he said on “Sport1”. Since his sensational World Cup semi-final in 2023, Clemens has lacked consistency.
Schindler and Pietreczko with a missed opportunity
Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko were each narrowly defeated by 3:4 in round three. Both lost a lead and both had little things missing. Schindler was annoyed about the missed opportunity, but was satisfied with his performance: “I played well and definitely gained an experience. I will come out stronger here again.“
Pietreczko had eventual finalist Luke Humphries on the verge of defeat. His World Cup conclusion is mixed: “First World Cup, third round, you can of course say: good debut. But there was more to it.“Precisely because so many big names stumbled, things could have gone quite far for Schindler and Pietreczko.
Mats Nickelsen, sports show, December 27th, 2023 6:40 p.m
Florian Hempel also lost 4-0 in the third round, but his opponent also played outstandingly. “You have to take the positive from a game like this and just do things better next time and I have a few approaches“, Hempel said combatively on “Sport1”. He caused a sensation before Christmas when he was able to turn around an almost hopeless deficit. Already in the first round, Dragutin Horvat, the fifth German participant, was 0-3 after a weak performance failed.
Not far to the top of the world
You can also see this World Cup as positive, because there is contact with the top. This is shown by the world rankings: With Clemens (number 22), Schindler (23) and Pietreczko (36), three Germans are now in the top 40. Especially for Schindler and Pietreczko, things are slowly and steadily moving up. You can have the most confidence in 2024.
Gabriel Clemens could soon be replaced as German number one. The question for him is whether he remains a solid top 30 player or can take another step forward. Hempel doesn’t make full use of his potential and is even more at risk than Clemens of remaining one of the many.
Question marks for the next generation
Whether there will be further German hopes soon could be decided in the second week of January. At the Qualifying School, around 30 playing privileges are awarded for the professional tour. They are valid for two years and only 128 players are allowed to take part in all professional tournaments. But it is questionable how big the rush for the places on the tour is. In the new season there will be significantly more tournaments taking place during the week. However, only about half of the professionals can actually live on the prize money distributed so far, and no improvements are known yet.
Niko Springer is also affected by this. The 23-year-old from Mainz is considered a great promise for the future. “The plan was that I would try to get on the professional tour and still do my job at the same time. I’m a civil servant and I don’t want to give up this good job,” he says to the sports show.
50 days of vacation without insurance
The many tournaments during the week meant that Springer initially abandoned this plan. He would need at least 50 days of vacation, that’s not realistic: “You are practically given a choice: full professional or not a professional. In my opinion, something in between is very difficult to achieve. For me this is an extremely bitter decision.“
If you want to make it as a full professional, you need good sponsors. Most tournaments take place in England and travel costs apply. Nobody can hope for sports funding. The organizer of the professional tournaments is a profit-oriented company; there is no cooperation with national associations. Luck and coincidence also play a role in the hope of a German being among the world’s best.