Raymond van Barneveld has admitted he’s battling for both form and fitness ahead of the 2025 World Matchplay darts.
He is set to play in a blockbuster first round clash with Michael van Gerwen on Monday at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool.
Van Barneveld has been diagnosed with diabetes and has, in recent years, seen it affecting his game.
A five-time world champion, Barney has now dipped to world No.36 in the rankings.
And he explained the battle with his body he faces every time he steps up to the oche.
He said: “Results are not that great at the moment. I’m struggling to find my best setup, so I’m still not there in my head.
“But I still have a couple of days left to make a decision. Then we fly to Blackpool on Sunday.
“Sometimes my body’s not the same anymore. I try to explain — I’m getting older, you know, I have blurred vision sometimes because of the diabetes, I have freezing cold hands.
“Practicing, I always do like three hours before the game. Maybe that’s a little bit too much. Maybe I need to tell myself, ‘Two hours before the match, that’s fine,’ because it makes me tired.
“Everyone still underestimates diabetes. I don’t want to talk about it all the time, but it’s a killer — mentally.
“Some moments I’m 58 years old, but within five minutes on stage I feel like I’m 85. Then three minutes later, I’m back again. It’s peaks in sugar levels all the time — it kills your energy, balance, focus.”
He added: “There’s no solution. I spoke to Gary Anderson last week — he’s not diabetic — and he said, ‘Ray, lately I never eat when I’m playing darts.’
GettyVan Barneveld should face fellow Dutchman Van Gerwen in Blackpool[/caption]“For me, that’s unbelievable. I need food — otherwise I feel dizzy and my whole body kicks in.
“I’m still trying to find the 100 per cent energy and focus — and that’s really hard. You can’t find a solution that works every time.
“Look at players who had diabetes — Jamie Caven, Andy Hamilton, Colin Lloyd — they’re all gone. In the end, it takes its toll.”
Even facing these hard battles, Barney is keen to prove he still has what it takes to compete with the elite.
He added: “But sometimes you still want to prove that you can still show them what you’re good at. I’m still No.36 in the world, I’m 58. I’m still here, I’m enjoying.
“It’s not always great, you have to handle defeats sometimes three, four days a week. No one sees this.
GettyVan Barneveld is hoping to turn around some recent poor form in Blackpool[/caption]“I’m a winner and time is changing. Years ago, I was with Phil Taylor, Michael Van Gerwen, Gary Anderson. People always talked about you. But that’s not happening anymore.”
Van Barneveld last made the semi-final of a ranked televised event in 2022 at the Grand Slam.
The Hague thrower is determined to make another splash at the business end of a big tournament.
He revealed: “It is not a secret that in the majors I’m doing pretty badly and losing first rounds all the time. And you try to find an answer to where does this go wrong, what I need to adjust, what I need to do.
“Of course, I’m proud, but proud doesn’t bring you anywhere, you want to have results.
“So it’s really good that people talk about you and they still say, ‘oh, wow, he’s still there, he’s still doing it and hope he’s proud’.
“But at the end, you want results and with results, you feel happier. Then you want to go do more and more and more.”
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