Former darts world champion tipped to step back from the sport: ‘He’s really struggling’

Raymond van Barneveld could step away from darts amid his ongoing struggles on the oche.

That is according to fellow Dutchman Vincent van der Voort after Barney made unwanted history this month.

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The five-time world champion recorded his lowest-ever three-dart average on the EuroTour in Graz last weekend.

Van Barneveld averaged 77.79 in his 6-2 first round defeat to Alan Soutar at the Austrian Darts Open.

It extended his winless run on this year’s EuroTour, with the 59-year-old already failing to qualify for the next two events.

Meanwhile, Van Barneveld has won just seven matches across the first 16 Players Championship tournaments of the year.

Stepping away

Van der Voort has now revealed Van Barneveld is considering taking a break from the sport in the near future.

The Dutch Destroyer shared his stance on Van Barneveld’s current standing on the Darts Draait Door podcast.

He explained: “You keep thinking it can’t get worse, but he keeps losing all the time. I messaged him briefly on WhatsApp and you can tell he’s really struggling.

“He’s thinking about taking a step back for a while, because this way it really makes no sense anymore. I really feel for him. I’ve known him for 35 years.”

Van Barneveld’s professional career has spanned five decades having joined the BDO in 1987.

Meanwhile, it is 20 years since he first moved to the PDC in 2006. He won his first world title the following year.

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Van der Voort added: “If people told me Raymond was averaging in the 70s, I’d say: ‘No way, that can’t be’. He really shouldn’t want this for himself.

“A few years ago we would never have expected this. I always thought he had so much talent that he could still compete on autopilot.

“But you see that even such champions can fall through the floor.”

Van Barneveld’s recent woes

Van Barneveld previously announced his retirement in March 2020 before reversing his decision.

He subsequently regained his PDC Tour Card at the start of 2021 by going through Q-School.

His performances have dipped in recent months, though, including a first round exit at the PDC World Darts Championship in December.

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Van Barneveld was beaten by Swiss thrower Stefan Bellmont at Alexandra Palace.

Following the early exit, he enlisted former footballer Rafael van der Vaart’s help in a bid to recapture his form.

However, Van Barneveld instead recorded his lowest ever PDC average less than a month later.

That came at Players Championship 2 in February as he averaged just 69.39 in a defeat to Owen Bates.