Raymond van Barneveld admits he will feel a sense of pride when he steps onto the Winter Gardens stage for the first time in five years, having fought his way back into the top echelons of darts.
The Dutch legend famously walked away from the sport after enduring a difficult 'farewell tour' in 2019, which ultimately ended with a disastrous first round exit at the 2019/20 World Championship.
However, Van Barneveld's 'real-life Rocky story' wasn't done yet, as he made a sensational comeback to the professional circuit at the start of 2021.
Since his return, the five-time World Champion has consistently made strides up the rankings, booking his highly-anticipated Blackpool return as a result.
"I really feel like I'm coming back and I'm a bit proud of myself for that," reflected Van Barneveld, who has reached the quarter-finals of European Tour and Players Championship events in 2023.
"When I gave up, I gave up. I never thought I would come back, but I missed the sport.
"If I'd stayed on [after the 2019/20 World Championship], I would've carried on sliding down the rankings, and it gave me a boost starting from scratch again because you're not defending anything.
"It's been step-by-step for me; it hasn't been two years of winning titles, it's been two years of reaching second or third rounds and slowly racking up prize money.
"I've been setting goals for myself - firstly to win a Tour Card, then to play at the World Championship, then to qualify for European Tours, then to qualify for TV events - to have achieved all those goals so far gives me a really good feeling.
"I've had to be resilient, and when I reached the final day of a European Tour for the first time in a long time [a fortnight ago], I beat Michael [van Gerwen] on the way, so that gives me the belief to keep working."
On Monday night, Van Barneveld will take on Ryan Searle in his first World Matchplay appearance since 2018, when he was defeated 11-9 by eventual champion Gary Anderson in the second round.
The Dutch legend - a runner-up to Phil Taylor in 2010 - has not reached the quarter-finals of the summer's biggest tournament since 2012, a record he is looking to improve upon in the second phase of his PDC career.
"It feels really good to be going back to Blackpool, I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it," Van Barneveld smiled. "It's like a summer World Championship, the atmosphere there is brilliant.
"The results I had in this event were not as good as in other tournaments, but hopefully I can do better this year.
"The draw against Ryan Searle is okay, it could've been worse, I could've drawn Michael [van Gerwen] or Gerwyn [Price], but Ryan is still dangerous and I will have to play my A-game to beat him.
"At the Grand Slam I showed I can still handle a best of 31 match, I beat Gerwyn [Price] over that distance; maybe he didn't expect it, no one else did but I believed in it."
Van Barneveld is now the oldest competitor left in this year's World Matchplay following Steve Beaton's exit on Sunday night, but retirement isn't on the menu anytime soon for a man whose career began in 1987.
"I think I will play at least until 60, I think," Van Barneveld continued.
"If I'm 58 and everyone beats me for breakfast then there would no point in playing further, but there's no sign of that so I'm going to keep putting the effort and time in.
"For most of my career I was lifting trophies all the time, I was always in finals or semi-finals and now I don't do that anymore.
"It's hard for your brain to accept that because you're thinking 'I can't do this anymore', but you can if you take it step-by-step.
"Overall, I'm happy. I'm really, really proud that the effort is paying off and hopefully this week I will do my very best and get some good results.
"If you believe and you set yourself goals then you can achieve a lot, and I know the Barney Army will be there to give me a boost when I need it."
You can read the full, exclusive interview with Raymond in the official 2023 Betfred World Matchplay programme.
2023 Betfred World Matchplay
Monday July 17 (1900 BST)
4x First Round
Dimitri Van den Bergh v Ross Smith
Ryan Searle v Raymond van Barneveld
Peter Wright v Andrew Gilding
Jonny Clayton v Gabriel Clemens