ON SUNDAY April 15 2018, Max Hoop became the first German player to win a senior PDC title as he secured victory at the German Darts Open in Saarbrucken.
Hopp, who made his European Tour debut almost five years ago has been his countries major darting hope hope throughout that period.
With the sport continuing to grow in Germany the pressure on the 21-year-old to succeed has grown but Hopp stated after his win that the key to future victories is belief in his own ability.
"I just believed in myself. Darts is my passion and I have the ability to be a top player"
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) April 17, 2018
History was made in Saarbrucken. Hear from @maximiser180 as he spoke to @DanDartsDawson following his incredible title win. pic.twitter.com/8vEp6Ey9ts
“I just believed in myself. Darts is my passion and I have the ability to be a top player, I know that but you need to show it.
"The confidence is growing and I believe I can do great things but I need to start showing that now, so it’s back to the practice board tomorrow,” said Hopp after the final.
The European Tour is testament to how darts has grown across mainland Europe and Germany in particular, with sellout crowds cheering on the players and Hopp in particular.
Much has been expected of the young German throughout his career but Hopp hopes to use the pressure as a positive and drive his career forwards.
“It is a lot of weight on your shoulders but you have two choices, you can say it’s too much pressure or you can say I’m the guy who can handle it," he added.
“I have this pressure but I can handle it and that’s what I’m learning now,” offered the former World Cup quarter-finalist.
“I don’t see it as a negative, I see it as a positive and I’m very happy I can perform this way in front of the Germans.”
Because Hopp has been around the PDC circuit for a number of years it is easy to forget he is only 21. However, despite his young age, Hopp is determined to use his already large amount of experience to help push him towards further titles.
“I’ve seen a lot of things and played on a lot of stages but I’ve never seen that progress but then I just stared to believe more and then things like this happen.
“I don’t feel like I’m 21 because I have learnt so much. I’ve played so many PDC tournaments so I know how everything works, I know all the players and finally the experience and the hard work is paying off.”
The win cemented Hopp’s position as Germany’s number one player and puts him in pole position for qualification via the ProTour Order of Merit for the BetVictor World Matchplay, Unibet World Grand Prix and William Hill World Darts Championship. However, the 2015 World Youth Champion hopes that this is just the start of his darting success.
“This isn’t everything I need to show the big guys more often that I can beat them, I believe I can and this was the first step."