The year 2025 PDC World Darts Championships turned into a huge disappointment Raymond van Barneveld. The five-time world champion suffered a surprising defeat on Saturday evening Nick Kenny (3-1) in the second round of the tournament in London.
A friend from the Netherlands, a darter Vincent van der Voort he was surprised by his compatriot’s poor performance. “It’s been gone for a while,” said “Fast Vinnie” on his WK Darts Draait Door podcast. “He didn’t exude much. Other than that, it didn’t look like he was struggling or anything. It was really very average. I really didn’t expect it.”
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“In general, he is preparing for the World Cup match at a really high level and it is difficult to beat him. Then he really gives his all one hundred percent. But the Raymond we usually know was nowhere to be seen,” Van der Voort continued.
The Dutchman was also not impressed with what Kenny showed. “Kenny wasn’t good either,” Van der Voort continued. “He had plenty of chances but it wasn’t right for Raymond. He had little energy and it was obvious that he simply didn’t feel comfortable in his skin. Of course, it could have been that something more happened. He may have the flu, which makes you feel worse. These are just speculations, I don’t know.
“It really surprised me. I haven’t often seen Raymond play so badly in the World Cup. I can imagine it hit him really hard. You spend all year trying to qualify for the Majors and almost everywhere you go, in the first round you think: Is this the end? It’s just like, what are his options?”
Van der Voort believes that Van Barneveld is leaving the darts circuit purely for financial reasons. “I don’t think he wanted it for a few years,” Van der Voort said. “But it’s a financial necessity. He must continue. It’s not like he can stop and retire. It’s painful, but life is expensive and divorce is expensive. It doesn’t go to your head. It’s unfortunate because now his career will end in failure. At some point, people will only remember these years and it’s a bit of a shame for the great master.
