Jonny Clayton could reach the last 16 in 2025 PDC World Darts Championships on Friday afternoon at Alexandra PalaceA survived Daryl Gurney fight for promotion 4-3. Later, however, the Welshman spoke openly and honestly about his uncertain future in sports.
“I don’t make it easy for myself, I keep everyone in suspense. It’s great to get over the line, somehow I hit a double four to win, so I’m a happy man,” Clayton joked to the assembled reporters during his post-match press conference. “Daryl is a gentleman, he wears his heart on his sleeve and he was unlucky not to beat me. I was a bit lucky today, but now I have to make the most of this opportunity.”
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Now, at age 50, Clayton is eager to take advantage of this opportunity because he doesn’t know how much longer he has left. “I don’t think I have much left in Dart, while these young guys have a lot of time left,” the Welshman honestly admits. “That’s why I’m trying to do my best now because my time is running out.”
But that doesn’t mean Clayton isn’t still supportive. “If you can relax there and throw your best darts, you’ve got a chance, no matter your age,” he adds firmly. “If you don’t give your all, things get complicated. He doesn’t have my best darts at the moment.”
Clayton was arguably the best player in the world at the peak of his career in 2021 and has struggled to replicate that form over the past few years, with the main reason being the heartache following the death of his father. .
“This [his career ed.] it was over. I wasn’t interested, I didn’t want to play the game, I didn’t want to travel. It didn’t mean anything to me,” he explains. “After all, it’s my hobby. Some of these young people come in and this is their job. I don’t want to talk about it anymore after losing my dad, but it hurt. He was my inspiration to continue playing darts. So I said, “That’s it, I don’t want to do this anymore.” But when you have family that looks up to you and friends that believe in you, it means a lot to you and I thought I’d give it a shot.”
In the last 16 years he has faced his pairs partner who won the Darts World Cup for Wales Gerwyn’s price waiting for Clayton.
