In an exclusive interview with Dimitri Van den Bergh, the Belgian appeared to take a swipe at Peter Wright for his penchant of changing his darts midway through a match.
The ‘Dream Maker’ also revealed he believes Belgium were a bounce out away from winning the darts World Cup and that Michael van Gerwen’s highest level is better than that of Phil Taylor’s.
Interview Highlights:
- Changing equipment is a sign of weakness in a darts player
- Belgium would have won World Cup final if it wasn’t for bounce out vs Wales
- Michael van Gerwen’s averages prove he is better than Phil Taylor
- PDC needs to bring Premier League darts to Belgium next year
Changing darts shows weakness in a player’s game
Van den Bergh disagrees with players like Peter Wright who change their darts on a regular basis. He believes it’s better to stick with one set of darts and focus on improving skills;
Dimitri Van Den Bergh: “I’m someone who likes to put work in with one set of darts. I believe that getting yourself to be top class is because you work at it and not because you change your equipment. Changing equipment always shows me a bit of weakness and that you’re not using the right material.”
Unlucky bounce out cost Belgium World Cup win over Wales
Team Belgium were closing in on a place in the World Cup final in July with the game tied at 7-7. But misfortune struck when one of Van den Bergh’s darts hit the wire and finished on the floor. It meant Jonny Clayton snatched the 15th leg and the match;
Dimitri Van Den Bergh: “At 7-7 Wales went up and Gezzy didn’t hit a treble. Then I go up and have a 120 start with a bounce out. If that had been a 180 then I wouldn’t have been left with 121, I would’ve been left with a chance to take out 61. That would’ve made a huge difference and we probably would have won the game. Then Jonny just picked off the hundred, treble, double and it was over. That was a tough one to swallow. That semi-final against Wales could really have been the final because in the next round Scotland didn’t really turn up.”
Michael van Gerwen is better than Phil Taylor ever was
Ver den Bergh reckons seven-times Premier League champion Michael van Gerwen has proven himself to be better than Phil Taylor. ‘The Power’ was crowned World Champion a staggering 14 times during his stellar career but his averages don’t match up to MvG’s;
Dimitri Van Den Bergh: “I still go for MvG. His highest averages are higher than Phil Taylor’s. On that basis I would go for him. It’s all about the stats. I know that Phil has achieved the most World Championship wins but MvG can average 105 or 110 when he needs to. Even a 125 average. Incredible.”
Premier League darts event in Belgium would be special
As a proud Belgian national, Van den Bergh would love to perform in front of his fans in Brussels or even his home town of Antwerp. Whether the PDC listens and adds a date remains to be seen, but the ‘Dream Maker’ is adamant that it would go down a storm;
Dimitri Van Den Bergh: “The scene in Belgium is developing so fast it’s crazy. So many people are focused on it and following it for the full year. People are flying over from Belgium to tournaments now to sniff the atmosphere themselves. It’s mental! It would be incredible to have a Premier League event in Belgium and I can only see the chances improving at the minute, so maybe next year.”
Dimitri Van Den Bergh, also known as "The Dreammaker", is a professional darts player from Belgium. Born on October 8th 1994, in Antwerp, Dimitri burst onto the scene in 2013, quickly becoming one of the hottest prospects in darts. He first won the Teenage British Open in this year. In 2020, "The Dreammaker" achieved a career defining moment when he secured his first PDC World Matchday title, making him the first Belgian to do so. Van Den Bergh is known to be one of the most exciting darts players around, as well as one of the biggest personalities in the sport.
