Gary Anderson admits he is relieved to have recaptured his form in the last week having endured a tough start to 2022.
Anderson lifted himself off the foot of the Cazoo Premier League table with victory on Night Six in Nottingham, before reaching his first ProTour final in over two years on Saturday.
The two-time World Champion, who also fell at the first hurdle of the UK Open, is happy to be back to winning ways.
"The longer a losing streak carries on the harder it is to get out of," Anderson told The Darts Show Podcast.
"I would've been happy with two or three points, so to win five was a nice bonus.
"You don't want to end up cut adrift at the bottom of the table, so it's a relief to move up a couple of places.
"My form's been up and down this year, more down than up to be honest, so I was surprised I won on Thursday.
"I struggled against Jonny [Clayton] in my first game [in Nottingham], but then I decided to play a bit quicker which went well for me and I carried that form into the weekend.
"My games in a good place right now, but next week could be completely different; there's so many good players about now."
Prior to last Thursday, Anderson had drawn a blank in his last four Premier League outings.
The 51-year-old admits nerves have played a part in his recent stage performances.
"Going up there now I find myself getting very nervous, even after all the years I've been playing," Anderson added.
"With the new format, I think the second and third games are easier because you've already been up there.
"I should be old enough and wise enough not to let it bother me.
"It's hard playing badly when I've spent so long playing well. A few years ago my 'B game' was good enough to win, that's not the case at the moment.
"I'm happy to be in the background and let all the other players be spoken about.
"I'm at the stage of my career now where I just go up and enjoy it, there's no pressure on me."
Anderson is back in Cazoo Premier League action on Night Seven on Thursday at Rotterdam Ahoy as he begins his quest for back-to-back wins against Joe Cullen.
The four matches on the night will be headlined by Dutch hero Michael van Gerwen's meeting with Michael Smith, while Peter Wright meets James Wade and Gerwyn Price plays Jonny Clayton in an all-Welsh encounter.
The Cazoo Premier League is broadcast on Sky Sports in the UK & Ireland, through the PDC's worldwide broadcast partners including DAZN & Viaplay and through PDCTV (for subscribers outside of UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria & Switzerland).
Cazoo Premier League
Night 7 – Rotterdam Ahoy
Thursday March 24
Quarter-Finals
Peter Wright v James Wade
Gary Anderson v Joe Cullen
Jonny Clayton v Gerwyn Price
Michael van Gerwen v Michael Smith
