Vincent van der Voort believes Gian van Veen needs to take the next step in his development in the coming period. The Dutchman has climbed to second in the world rankings, but the former professional says a player in that position should also be expected to win major titles. Speaking on the Darts Draait Door podcast, Van der Voort warns that failing to win tournaments could eventually become a problem.

Van Veen has been one of the most consistent players on the PDC circuit this season. The Dutchman has reached the semi-finals of the World Matchplay and the quarter-finals of the World Grand Prix, among other achievements. He has also produced strong results regularly on the European Tour.

Even so, Van der Voort believes there is room to criticise the performances of the world number two. “You can be quite critical of how he played this weekend when you’re the world number two. A lot of people won’t agree, simply because he is second in the world.”

“At some point, you have to win”

Van der Voort says the Netherlands currently has a deep pool of good darts players, but lacks players who regularly win major televised tournaments. “We have top players, but we don’t have anyone at the very top who can win a televised tournament right now. We’re a country with a lot of good players. One player goes deep, then another, and Gian goes deepest most often.”

The former professional stresses that Van Veen’s results are good in their own right, but a high position in the world rankings brings greater expectations. “It’s not as though all his results have been poor. He’s doing very well and often reaches the semi-finals on the Euro Tour. But if you want to go a little further, you have to win at some point. You have to play those matches really well, and that isn’t happening right now.”

Gian van Veen was unable to defend his title at the European Darts Championship

Van der Voort fears that a lack of major victories could eventually affect Van Veen mentally as well. “At some point in your career, you reach a stage where it’s make or break. If you don’t start winning, does it become an issue in your head and send everything downhill? Or can you put it into perspective and still be satisfied with what you’re doing?”

Van der Voort also believes the pressure may grow as the wait for another title goes on. “At first, you can think: I don’t care, it’ll happen eventually. But the longer it goes on, the more it becomes an issue. The press will make it a talking point too, and then you hear about it more and more.”

Van der Voort surprised by Borussia Dortmund visit

The podcast also discussed Van Veen’s unusual outing after his exit from the European Championship. Shortly after his defeat, the Dutchman went to watch a Borussia Dortmund football match with Stephen Bunting.

Van der Voort found it hard to imagine himself relaxing in the stands so soon after losing a match. “You’d think: you’ve just taken a beating, and now you’re off to watch Dortmund. If I’d just lost, Dortmund could have collapsed for all I cared. It wouldn’t have mattered to me at all.”

He was surprised that Van Veen seemed able to put his disappointment behind him so quickly. “Within an hour, you haven’t really processed it yet. I just wouldn’t have been in the right frame of mind. I’d have been gutted about losing.”

Still, Van der Voort accepts that every player deals with defeat differently. “Perhaps that’s one of his strengths. Apparently, he handles it pretty well.”

Praise for Stephen Bunting

Stephen Bunting also came up in the discussion. Van der Voort says the Englishman has had a difficult season, but made a much better impression at the European Darts Championship.

“Bunting is a really nice guy. He’s the very definition of friendly and always makes time for everyone. He’s struggled with his form quite a bit this year, but he played well in this tournament.”

For Van Veen, the main challenge remains on the oche. Van der Voort has no doubts about his ability, but believes the Dutchman must turn his strong results into more titles. As world number two, Van Veen will only face greater expectations, he says.