James Wade slams disrespectful crowd in X-rated rant after ‘easily’ beating darts rival

Darts star James Wade has taken aim at the ‘pretty s****y’ fans at the Austrian Open following his win over home favourite Mensur Suljovic.

The 43-year-old booked his place in the third round with an emphatic 6-2 victory over his 54-year-old opponent.

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In what was a vintage Wade display, he landed six of his ten doubles, whilst averaging an impressive 103.20.

And he was subject to a particularly hostile reception from fans, who proceeded to boo and jeer him throughout.

Those in attendance were firmly rooting for Serbia-born Suljovic, who emigrated to Austria in the early 1990s to flee the escalating Balkan Wars.

And speaking to the media following his victory, Wade certainly didn’t mince his words when discussing the fans.

The 11-time PDC major winner was asked about beating both Suljovic and a partisan Austrian crowd.

To which he quipped: “Oh, Mensur wasn’t the problem, was he? It was the crowd.

“But yeah, Mensur was easily dealt with and so was the crowd.”

Later in the interview, Wade further addressed the atmosphere generated at Stadthalle Graz.

Not holding back in his assessment, he remarked: “I think it was pretty s****y to be fair, the crowd weren’t respectful.

“Mensur wasn’t great, but the better player out of the two of us won, so it’s all good.”

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And he was also quizzed on his popularity as a player, having been a staple of the darts world since joining the PDC in 2004.

It led him to further revel in his win over Suljovic, as he joked: “More popular than some.

“A little bit more popular than Mensur right now because I’ve just beaten him, so they’ve got to be my fans now, right?”

Unfortunately for Wade, his quest to win a first Austrian Open on the PDC European Tour came to an end in the third round.

Wade was beaten 6-1 by Luke Woodhouse on Sunday.

The Machine will now be looking to bounce back at Players Championship 15, 16, 17 and 18 over the coming nine days, before the Elten Safety Shoes International Darts Open in Germany later this month.