RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD feels he is refreshed ahead of his bid to claim a first Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts title.
The Dutchman has enjoyed a quiet fortnight since the end of the Premier League's regular season earlier in May, travelling for a holiday in Italy before returning to the practice board.
He has linked up with top Dutch youngsters Toon Greebe and Gino Vos in practice ahead of Monday's Premier League Play-Offs at the Wembley Arena.
"After 14 weeks of the Premier League the rest was very welcome!" said van Barneveld. "I bought a new car and have had a holiday in Rome with my wife Silvia.
"The weather was beautiful and the history of the city is unbelievable.
"But since I got back I've had a tough practice schedule, playing some long sessions with Toon Greebe and Gino Vos."
Van Barneveld admits his form was "up and down" during the 14-week league phase of the tournament, but is confident of producing a complete display at Wembley when he takes on James Wade in the semi-finals.
"Sometimes I was hitting great scores and terrible on my doubles, and on other days it was the reverse of that," he said.
"It's no secret that you have to perform on both if you want to win this exciting event.
"The important thing is to keep your focus. It's happened too many times that I've been 4-1 up and my form has dropped after the break."
Van Barneveld has been a semi-final loser in the last three Premier Leagues, with Wade coming from 6-3 down to win 11-8 at this stage 12 months ago.
"The main goal is to reach the final, which I've never done," said van Barneveld. "It is knock-out now and requires a totally different mental approach to the league.
"It's tough because you first put all your effort into the semi-final and your preparation is focussed on that.
"I am only focusing on the semi-final because James is on fire, his finishing is incredible most of the time and he seems to produce his best games when he plays me.
"Last year, I beat him twice in the league but then in the most important game, the semi-final, I lost to him, so there are no guarantees.
"I've had a good preparation and it's great to be part of the biggest darts event of the year."
Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts Play-Offs
May 25, 6pm - Wembley Arena
Semi-Finals
James Wade v Raymond van Barneveld
Phil Taylor v Mervyn King
Best of 19 legs
Final
Best of 25 legs
Tickets: 0870 060 0870
See highlights from the Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts in PDCtv
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