GIAN VAN VEEN’S dip in form will “eat away” at him following his kidney stone surgery.
The World No3 is still searching for consistency after a disrupted year following his op, with second-round exits at both the German Darts Grand Prix and European Darts Grand Prix.
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Gian van Veen recently underwent kidney stone surgery Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
Vincent van der Voort worries about Van Veen’s form Credit: Getty Images – Getty
The Giant remains fifth in the Premier League table and is four points off fourth-placed Michael van Gerwen heading into Aberdeen next week for Night 13.
Former pro Vincent van der Voort believes Van Veen, 24, returned too soon and thinks the real damage now is happening mentally.
He told the Darts Draait Door Podcast: “You miss that sparkle in him. Last year he was running around faster and joking more and such. I do notice that he is a bit affected.
“He didn’t play a good match again and his darts aren’t set up right at the moment either. When that happens to you as a player, it is very unpleasant.
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“You are inclined to start throwing differently to fix it. You don’t get that back overnight and it starts to eat away at you. You can see that in him too.
“We shouldn’t forget that operation either. He says he isn’t bothered anymore, but neither was I when my appendix was removed. But to play again like before, that is something else entirely.
“I think he made a mistake by going back to Berlin too soon for the Premier League Darts. He said that three days earlier, he was completely exhausted after ten minutes.”
The former UK Open finalist reckons technical issues are only making matters worse.
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He added: “You see with players who aren’t going well that the tension is palpable.
“You notice that he isn’t loose, and that is exactly what you want to instill in him: he needs to throw as freely as possible. I think he is tensing up just a little bit at the moment.
“He is a sensible guy and doesn’t get into trouble. He really does think things through and doesn’t do crazy things.
“But it eats away at you. Then you start worrying and lying in bed thinking about what needs to change. It is quite exhausting to figure out what the cause is. I hope he gets it sorted out soon.”
