PRICE ADMITS HE HAS “SPARK BACK”

By Aaron Nijjar

GERWYN PRICE has rediscovered his love for darts despite enduring a tough campaign last year.

‘The Iceman’ has been in great form in 2025, reaching the last eight of the World Championship, the final of the Bahrain Masters, and the semi-final of the Dutch Masters.

Price also recorded the highest one-match average on tour so far this year with 115.31 in a dominant 6-2 win over Luke Littler in the Middle East.

World No.9 Price has admitted failing to qualify for the Grand Slam and enduring a difficult season in 2024 has reignited his passion for the sport.

In an interview for Reach’s 2025 darts preview publication, he said: “Having a couple of weeks off, missing the Grand Slam and going out early in the Players Championship…I get bored really easily and I didn’t really have anything to do.

“It put things into perspective for me. If I’m not playing darts, then I have nothing else to do. I missed it. I love playing in the Grand Slam and I’ve won it a few times. It was difficult missing that one. It gave me a reset and made me look forward to playing again.

“I just want to enjoy darts again. I think I played a little bit too much and got down on myself. But missing those couple of weeks gave me a spark back, and that’s all I needed, I think.”

The former three-time Grand Slam champion admits he was surprised but happy with receiving a wild-card selection to the Premier League.

He added: “I didn’t know. I knew an hour before it came on Sky. This year, I had a message come through from [PDC chief executive] Matt Porter, which I thought was going to be a message saying I wasn’t in. But it said, ‘congratulations’ and that I was in, so I was happy.”

The Welshman’s quarter final run at Alexandra Palace, featuring a thrilling win over Joe Cullen and a victory against former World Grand Prix champion Jonny Clayton, boosted his Premier League selection hopes. However, his defeat to Chris Dobey left a sense of what might have been.

He said: “I was playing really well in every game but then slipped off and let people come back at me and started missing doubles. I gifted a win to Chris Dobey. I let Joe Cullen back in, let Jonny Clayton back in.

“If I could have been a little more ruthless and kept my foot on the gas, I probably would have got to the final, and I think I could have won it.”

Seven-time Major winner Price will now turn his focus to the Winmau World Masters, where he faces Florian Hempel in the first round.

With eight Euro Tour titles to his name and two World Series wins last year even when not at his best, Price will be a fierce competitor at the tournament if he maintains this form.

Images by Taylor Lanning.