Michael Smith insists he has rediscovered his hunger for success ahead of his Paddy Power World Darts Championship return on Thursday.
Smith will renew his rivalry with Kevin Doets at Alexandra Palace later tonight, in a repeat of their second round clash 12 months ago, which saw the St Helens star run out a 3-2 winner.
The 34-year-old went on to defeat Madars Razma in round three before succumbing to Chris Dobey in the last 16, which has strengthened his desire to reclaim the iconic Sid Waddell Trophy.
Smith fulfilled his darting destiny with a sensational triumph in 2022/23, defeating Michael van Gerwen 7-4 to win his maiden World Championship crown on a famous night in north London.
He also landed a staggering nine-darter - dubbed "the greatest leg in history" – on his way to glory, in a moment which generated worldwide acclaim for the sport.
Smith’s success also saw him become the new world number one in January 2023, although that position is now occupied by Luke Humphries, who succeeded Smith as World Champion earlier in the year.
“The World Championship is the pinnacle,” declared Smith - one of eight World Champions in this year's field.
“This is what you work all year for – from January 4 leading up to December 15 – this is what everyone wants, and what everyone wants to win!
“Darts is only getting bigger, and to be at the front of that as a former World Champion is a nice feeling, but I don’t want to be a former World Champion anymore!
“I want to get my World Championship back and I want to be a defending champion again!”
Smith had featured in two World Championship finals prior to his landmark victory, succumbing to Van Gerwen in 2018/19, before losing out to Peter Wright three years later.
“I went there and I was always the bridesmaid,” revealed the former World Youth Champion.
“I lost in the final in 2019 and 2022 – I definitely could have won against Peter [Wright], but thankfully I came back and won it a year later.
“I think that’s where the downfall began - the determination drops a little bit because I finally got my hands on that title.
“Over the last few months I have thought: ‘I can still win more’. I have got to start getting that fight and determination back, and it’s starting to come now.”
Smith is without a televised ranking title since his World Championship heroics, although he did return to the winner’s circle in June, steering England to World Cup of Darts victory alongside Humphries.
The world number two was a runner-up in September’s World Series of Darts Finals, and also featured in the Premier League and World Matchplay semi-finals earlier this year.
“It’s been a mixed year for me,” conceded Smith, also a winner on the PDC ProTour in May.
“Obviously winning the World Cup [with Humphries] was unreal. I’m disappointed that I only won one ProTour, but I got a major title and a ProTour under my belt.
“Some years I would have been happy with that, but since winning the World Championship my expectations are a lot higher.”
Smith has not progressed beyond the last 16 on the big stage since September’s World Series Finals, although he’s confident of transforming his fortunes in the capital.
“The hard times will blow over. I have proved that over the years, especially after winning the World Championship and becoming world number one,” added Smith, the second seed at this year's event.
“I am just going through one of those periods, but I’ve come out of it before and I’ve managed to shine again.
“I have learnt that I have got the resilience to put up with the difficult questions, the difficult matches, the tough losses, and things do change.
“Next year will be my 17th season with the PDC. It is literally half my life I’ve spent here!
“The best is still yet to come. I’ve been there or thereabouts every single year I’ve been playing, and I want to do what [Michael] Van Gerwen did and dominate the sport for years.
“It would be hard, especially with the calibre of players we have now, but I want to be picking up more TV titles every single year, and I believe I can still do that.”
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).