Gary Anderson addresses absence from European Tour
Gary Anderson has opened up about his recent absence from the European Tour, clarifying that the two-time world champion has not lost interest in the competition, reports BritPanorama.
Speaking at Somerset County Cricket Club in Taunton, the Scottish star acknowledged that his schedule has been consumed by other commitments that do not align easily with darts’ increasingly demanding calendar.
“It’s alright,” Anderson stated. “I’ve been missing for a few weeks, but I’ve just been busy with other things. So it’s nice to get back playing.”
However, a frustrating experience at Polish customs marred his recent travels. Anderson recounted a tiring three-and-a-half-hour wait, describing it as a breaking point for him. “I enjoyed it, until I went to Poland and it took us three and a half hours to get through customs. That was it, I lost the plot after that,” he revealed.
The Scot expressed his dissatisfaction with the travel experiences faced by professional darts players. “It’s hard enough having to travel now, but standing in queues for three and a half hours I can’t do that,” he said, issuing a warning about his future participation if such delays persist. “If it’s another three and a half hours, you won’t see me.”
Anderson believes the customs process should be streamlined: “We’ve all got passports, quick look at it, ‘on you go, have a good time.'” Despite his limited appearances on tour, he still managed to make a significant impact at the World Championship, advancing to the latter stages. “Just luck, I think, luck of the draw for me. It’s the biggest tournament on the planet, isn’t it? That’s the one you want to do well in,” he noted.
As for the Premier League, Anderson confirmed that he would not participate regardless of any invitation, citing the heavy schedule and the youth of the competing players. He remarked on the psychological demands of the format, saying, “If you don’t get a win in the first couple of weeks, you get into that bubble where you just don’t win, and it’s a nightmare.”
He expressed admiration for the rising talent in darts, particularly Northern Ireland’s Josh Rock, stating, “I’ve got a lot of time for Josh. He’s going to be a top-four player very shortly in the future of darts.” Fellow Scot Mitchell Lawrie also caught his attention, to which Anderson gave a light-hearted nudge, “He’d better hurry up, because I’m not going to be hanging about forever.”
As the sport evolves quickly, with younger players like Michael Smith and Nathan Aspinall emerging as the new faces of darts, Anderson reflects on his position with a balanced perspective. “I’ll be classed as a dinosaur,” he said with characteristic good humour.
