Gary Anderson struggles with pain, opponents, corona

Actually, Gary Anderson could be satisfied all in all on Monday evening.

On the first day of the Grand Slam of Darts, the Scot managed a 5-3 win against Adam Gawas (November 16 to 24 LIVE on TV on SPORT1 and in LIVESTREAM).

But after his game, the “Flying Scotsman” caused a stir with an interview.

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“It’s nice to play darts. The players make noises right next to your ear every time you throw. And the noises always seem to come from the same team, which is a bit annoying,” complained the 49-year-old in an interview With Sky Sports.

Noise affects Anderson

The noises of the opponents seem to bother Anderson so much that he even expresses thoughts of resignation. “Would I get out? Yes, because darts is no longer darts. You have to have a word with everyone who watches darts. They call it the art of playing, I call it cheating,” the Scot continued to rage.

Even if Anderson does not give any specific names and it is also unclear who he means by the “team”, his anger at some of the competitors seems to be enormous. (The tables of the Grand Slam of Darts)

In any case, there is currently little convergence at the two-time world champion. After a bitter 5-1 defeat against Simon Whitlock in the second group game, Anderson threatens to be knocked out early.

“Flying Scotsman” struggles with knee pain

Given the physical condition of the Scotsman, that should be anything but easy. The 49-year-old has been struggling with knee pain for weeks. Due to an injury, Anderson can only hobble and does not really get going. (Schedule and results of the Grand Slam of Darts)

Not the first physical problem.

For many years he had repeatedly struggled with back pain. “It’s hard. It hurts, you don’t even know how much. It’s like I’m having a baby,” he once said in an interview with SPORT1 about his complaints

Now his knee torments him.

Corona worries Anderson

And the corona pandemic is also of great concern to Anderson. As one of the few darts players, he has refrained from traveling abroad since the beginning of the crisis. He can only participate because the Grand Slam is taking place in Great Britain.

In the world rankings, Anderson slipped to 13th place because he hardly collects prize money in the few tournaments in which he takes part.

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But it’s not just physical pain that worries the fans of the “Flying Scotsman”. While he has always explained various calculation errors at the Oche in recent years with his poor eyesight, he made a huge mistake a few weeks ago.

At the World Grand Prix, where every leg always has to be started with a double, he forgot the rules – several times in one evening. During his race to catch up against Dirk van Duijvenbode, he repeatedly fired arrows in the direction of the triple-20 without even targeting a double field beforehand. Unsurprisingly, the match was lost.

Resignation after the World Cup?

The career of one of the most successful darts players of all time seems to be on its home stretch. It may even be over after the upcoming World Cup at Ally Pally.

A statement made by the Scotsman two years ago would fit this. “I think I’ll be finished before 50,” he said of his career at the age of 48: “Maybe this World Cup and maybe the next, but then that was it.”

This and the next World Cup are already behind Anderson, on December 22nd he will be 50 years old. The next few weeks will have to show whether he will even step onto the big darts stages at this point in time.