DE DECKER SLAMS OWN SEASON AHEAD OF WORLD GRAND PRIX DEFENSE
04/10/2025 By Aaron Nijjar
MIKE DE DECKER has savaged his own season after admitting he’s failed to deliver and has no right to feature in the Premier League.
‘The Real Deal’ is gearing up to defend his World Grand Prix crown in Leicester next week but confessed 2025 has been a year of missed chances.
World No. 20 De Decker has failed to reach a single quarter-final in any of the four ranked majors and is still waiting for his first ProTour title of the season.
De Decker admits the pressure of following up his stunning breakthrough at the double-start TV event has weighed heavily on his shoulders.
He said: “Yeah of course winning the World Grand Prix really boosted my career.
“A lot of people were really expecting more from me and so was I.
“But the Grand Prix was the first tournament that showed I can play on the big stage as well.
“Then I switched material to Mission, and it took a long while to get used to it.
“I did not play well in the first couple of majors this year.
“I made it a tweak in my setup and now it feels more comfortable and like the set I used last year.”
Belgium thrower De Decker was brutally honest about his Premier League prospects.
He added: “If you look at my year now maybe the PDC was right for not putting me in, but they would not have known that at the time.
“I got a question a couple of weeks ago about the Premier League and there being a night in Antwerp.
“I would look at it now and say my year has not been good enough to put me in the Premier League.
“If my results don’t get better and they put me in the Premier League next year then I will say I don’t deserve it.”
The 29-year-old begins his title against Peter Wright on Tuesday in a mouthwatering first round clash.
De Decker knows the Scot remains a dangerous opponent despite a patchy run of form.
He continued: “I think the problem with Peter Wright is over the years he changed too much in his material.
“Everyone knows what Peter has done with his setup during games after games, before tournaments and after tournaments.
“But if he picks up the right set next week you know he can play. He didn’t win two world titles on luck.
“I am just looking at it I have to play my A-game like I do going into every tournament.”
Image by Taylor Lanning.
