Gerwyn Price has vowed to come out ‘all guns blazing’ when he opens his Paddy Power World Darts Championship campaign at Alexandra Palace on Monday evening.
Price – one of eight World Champions in this year’s field – will play Irish star Keane Barry in the second round, as he sets his sights on lifting the Sid Waddell Trophy for a second time.
Despite an underwhelming season, following a string of impressive performances on the exhibition circuit over recent weeks, Price arrives in the capital brimming with confidence.
“I believe I’m playing some of the best darts I’ve ever played,” insisted Price, featuring in his 11th World Darts Championship.
“I have played in six exhibitions over the last few weeks and I’ve made four or five finals, so it’s been huge for me.
“When you’re playing the big boys like Michael [van Gerwen], Michael Smith, Luke Humphries and Stephen Bunting, and you’re blowing them off the board, it gives me great confidence.
“My game seems to be back where it should be, so it’s all guns blazing now ready for the World Championship.
“There’s no reason why I can’t win this title. If I play anywhere near the level I’ve played in the last few weeks in exhibitions, nobody beats me!”
Price celebrated World Series success in June’s Nordic Darts Masters, although he’s struggled to make his mark on the biggest stages – failing to progress beyond the last 16 of a TV ranking event in 2024.
“I don’t think I’ve played really badly this year, I’ve just had bad results,” added Price, the tenth seed in this year’s showpiece.
“Things haven’t gone my way, but I just kept rolling saying: ‘Things will click and players can’t keep playing like that against me’, but they did!
“That is testament to the quality of the sport, but I’m easy to beat when I’m not playing at my best. Beating me when I’m at my best is a different story.
“It doesn’t matter what you have done all year, whether you’ve played out of your skin, whether you’re the tournament favourite or a rank outsider, this is a different kettle of fish.”
Price lifted the sport’s biggest prize in 2020/21, defeating two-time World Champion Gary Anderson to etch his name into the darting history-books and catapult himself to world number one.
The 39-year-old has been one of the sport’s most successful players throughout the last decade, and he admits missing out on last month’s Grand Slam of Darts was a wake-up call.
“Part of my struggles this year has been my mindset,” conceded Price, a three-time Grand Slam winner.
“Having the time off and sitting back watching the Grand Slam, it gave me time to reflect on what I really want to do.
“Without darts, there really is not much more for me to do.
“The preparation over the last four to five weeks has been brilliant, especially over the last couple of weeks.
“Hopefully I will get through my opening game and get a win, and then for me, the World Championship really starts after Christmas.”
The Paddy Power World Darts Championship is being broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK, through the PDC's worldwide broadcast partners including DAZN and Viaplay, and on PDCTV (excluding UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria & Switzerland based subscribers).
2024/25 Paddy Power World Darts Championship
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Niels Zonneveld v Robert Owen (R1)
Connor Scutt v Ben Robb (R1)
Cameron Menzies v Leonard Gates (R1)
Gerwyn Price v Keane Barry (R2)