SMITH WARNED HE’S ‘JUST ONE OF MANY’ AS SLUMP DEEPENS
02/09/2025 By Aaron Nijjar
VINCENT VAN DER VOORT questioned Michael Smith’s bullish claims that he can bounce back to world title glory.
Two-times major winner Smith crashed out of the Flanders Darts Trophy in round one last week after a 6-5 defeat to Mario Vandenbogaerde, averaging just 87.62 in Antwerp.
‘Bully Boy’ faces the real prospect of sitting out both the World Grand Prix and European Championship, with injuries and illness wrecking his campaign.
St Helens thrower Smith insists he still believes he can reclaim the Sid Wadell Trophy, but former pro Van der Voort doesn’t buy it.
He said: “As an athlete you’re often more insecure than you want to admit, especially when you’ve been playing poorly for a while.
“At first you think: it’s not too bad.
“But when you start slipping in the rankings and see others rising, you begin to wonder: will it ever come back?
“Smith now has to deal with a different status.
“He was a regular in the Premier League for years. Now he’s just one of many. That’s a switch not every top player can handle.”
Smith is on course to finish the year without a title for the first time since 2019.
However, the 34-year-old has shown glimpses of brilliance this year after reaching two ProTour semi-finals and the quarter-final of the UK Open.
World No. 21 Smith returns to action this Friday in the Czech Darts Open at the Expo Prague arena.
Image by Taylor Lanning.
