Dirk van Duijvenbode is one of the Dutch players appearing in Dutch Darts Masters 2025 this weekend. “Aubergenius” has now lost his place in the top 24 of the world rankings, but despite this he has just received an invitation to participate in Den Bosch.
However, Van Duijvenbode did not receive a perfect draw. The 32-year-old Darts player from S-Gravenzande has been linked with defending champion Michael Van Gerwen. In the event of a victory over Van Gerwen, Luke Littler could also wait in the second round. “Immediately difficult,” concluded Van Duijvenbode in an interview with Sportnieuws.nl. “In your country you like to avoid the Dutch as much as possible.”
Van Duijvenbode made it to the home tournament in time. His World Championship fell apart due to illness, causing him to fall in the second round against Madars Razma. As it turned out, it was not a simple flu. “I was sick for five weeks, so I can also put this defeat into perspective. If I had won against Razma, I would probably have lost the next match. It’s just unfortunate because it’s (sick, ed.) It’s something you have no control over. “
Meanwhile, Van Duijvenbode is fit again, with steps forward also taken due to a shoulder injury. His sponsor Toto helped van Duijvenbode in the rehabilitation process. Van Duijvenbode now wants to prove himself in the Dutch Masters Darts, whose tournament is the title sponsor for the last time. Due to legislation, Dutch betting companies are no longer allowed to sponsor sporting events from spring 2025. They will no longer be allowed to be the namesake of the Toto Dart Kings, the Dutch professional darts team which, in addition to Van DuijvenbodeDe, also includes Michael Van Gerwen and Raymond Van Barneveld.
“I’m so sorry. During my injury, they supported me unconditionally”, “Van Duijvenbode is grateful for the support offered.” “It’s always been like that anyway. They never said a negative word. They were just like, “How can we help you?” I am very grateful to them for this.
