Dutch darts star Wessel Nijman has revealed the gruelling demands of winning his first European Tour title, describing a final day that stretched over 12 hours from morning until a 9:30pm final. Nijman crowned himself champion of the European Darts Trophy last weekend by defeating former world champion Gerwyn Price in the final, sealed with a spectacular 150 checkout. The victory marked not only his maiden Euro Tour triumph but a confirmation of his place among the sport's rising elite.
Reflecting on the emotional weekend with TalkSport Darts, Nijman admitted, "It's been some weekend. It's emotions I probably hadn't experienced before on days like this." He highlighted the particular challenge of the European Tour format: "Last year I reached two semi-finals, and especially the last day of a European Tour event is so hard to stay consistent and keep playing your own game. You're already there in the morning, and the final starts at 9:30 in the evening, so you need to stay sharp for more than 12 hours. That's really difficult, but I'm very happy I managed to do it yesterday."
Nijman's calm demeanor proved crucial to his success. "When you start shouting or celebrating a lot, your heart rate goes up, and that's when I start getting more nervous," he explained. "I always say to myself that the calmer you stay, the better you feel and the easier it is to stay focused." Only in truly decisive moments does he show emotion, joking that if he'd hit the nine-darter he narrowly missed against Josh Rock earlier in the tournament, "then I definitely wouldn't have stayed calm."
The final against Price was played at a high level, with Nijman producing the defining 150 checkout. "It's really just routine and rhythm," he said of the finish. "You're actually thinking even less about it because Gerwyn wasn't on a finish. Of course it's still a difficult finish, but knowing he wasn't on a checkout meant there was less pressure." The pair have developed a respectful rivalry, having met earlier this year at the UK Open and in a Players Championship final. "I had a chat with Gerwyn after the UK Open game on stage, and the first thing he said was that we always have great games against each other," Nijman noted. "The matches are always played at a really high level, and we don't try to put each other off or get into each other's heads. We just play the game at a good rhythm."
Nijman's achievement was underscored by his remarkable consistency, producing five averages above 100 across six matches. He emphasized the growing importance of physical fitness in modern darts: "I think in darts now you really have to be fit. It's not like the old days where players who weren't very fit could still dominate. You need to be well rested and mentally strong, but also physically ready. I'm not saying I'm extremely fit, but if you can stay focused and play at that level all day, then you're fit enough for these tournaments." Looking ahead, the Dutchman remains measured about his ambitions: "My main goal is to get into the top 16 first and then see what happens from there." But he doesn't rule out a major title: "If you look at the level I played yesterday, then I don't think it's strange to say that I could have a chance at winning one."
