Raymond van Barneveld: Has ‘Father Time’ caught up with the five-time world champion as questions about the future arise | Darts News
Raymond van Barneveld admitted he would ask himself “what’s next?” after losing his first match at the World Darts Championship for the second year in a row.
Van Barneveld was beaten 3-0 by Switzerland’s Stefan Bellmont on Wednesday, winning just two matches, and is expected to drop significantly from his current ranking of 35th after the tournament.
The 58-year-old previously retired from darts once at the start of 2020, but returned after a year away and returned to the top 32. However, he has struggled to perform on the big stage, which irritates the five-time world champion.
“It’s been a very bad year for me. I need to pull myself together,” he told the Dutch television station. Viaplay.
“It’s very difficult to know what’s next. On the training table, I’m a five-time world champion, maybe even ten times.
“But during matches, things don’t go the way I want. And why not? I don’t know. I can’t really answer that question.”
Van Barneveld has won two Players Championship events since his return in 2021 but, apart from a semi-final appearance at the 2022 Grand Slam of Darts, has rarely shown his best form at major televised events.
He added: “Of course it hurts. This is the second time in a row this has happened to me. I’m wondering on my own how to continue.
“I wonder what to do because suffering every week from all the defeats is not what I want. That’s obvious.
“He doesn’t even have a tour card and to win only two matches means everything. I have homework to do and I have to figure out what to do next. But this one hurts, that’s obvious.”
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Stefan Bellmont beats Raymond van Barneveld in first round of the World Darts Championship
Durrant: Father Time catches up with Van Barneveld
Van Barneveld, a professional darts player since 1984, has not reached the quarter-finals of the World Championship since 2018.
Former Premier League Darts Champion and Sky Sports DartsGlen Durrant says “it’s difficult to have that longevity” but expects Van Barneveld to continue playing in 2026.
“It’s not easy to walk away. Barney could train really well. I’ve seen him at exhibitions where he looked really happy and he was wonderful,” Durrant said.
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Take a look back at the moment Raymond van Barneveld produced an incredible nine darter against Brendan Dolan at the 2010 World Darts Championship.
“You always have this hope and expectation. Father Time catches up with you. Your eyesight is failing, sometimes you feel aches and pains.
“He’ll have questions. He’ll have the answers. He retired once and came back, won tournaments, so he has a big decision to make.
“I don’t see it going away because darts have never been in such a good place.”
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