Vincent van der Voort has offered a candid assessment of Dimitri Van den Bergh's worrying slump, noting "potential improvement" despite the Belgian's freefall in the rankings. Speaking on the podcast Darts Draait Door, the former professional highlighted Van den Bergh's drop outside the world's top 32 and his lack of results this season, but pointed to positives from his UK Open match against Danny Noppert. "I did see some positive signs in his match against Danny Noppert," Van der Voort said. "His rhythm looked better and he's changed his throw. It looked more comfortable than before. If he keeps working on that, it might become more stable."
However, Van der Voort identified a critical issue: Van den Bergh's confidence is at rock bottom. "He still has absolutely no confidence at the moment — probably even less than zero. And getting Noppert in the first round is a very tough draw." Reflecting on Van den Bergh's World Championship performance, he added, "That was terrible. Yes, it was terrible. But when you look at him now, with the new throw, you can at least see some potential improvement. I think he feels more comfortable with this throw than he did one or two months ago." To rebuild, Van der Voort suggested winning matches at any level, even in smaller local tournaments against weaker players, to regain that winning feeling.
Van der Voort also discussed other players under pressure, noting Raymond van Barneveld's bad spot in the rankings and risk of missing the World Championship. "If you look at the Worlds race, it's a shock. Van Barneveld isn't in a good position either. Those are serious problems." He referenced Peter Wright's recent interview, where Wright said he's on 49 titles and aims for around 55, plus another major like the World Grand Prix or Grand Slam before retiring. Van der Voort observed, "I don't mean that in a negative way — he's had an incredible career. He's won big tournaments, reached plenty of finals, is a two-time world champion, has won the World Matchplay, the World Cup twice, the European Championship, and he's been world number one. But if you ask whether he'll win the Grand Prix again — that's going to be difficult." He emphasized that such players should decide their own retirement timing, as long as they enjoy it.
