‘You don’t want to be there anymore’

OCHE ace Vincent van der Voort says there was a family heartbreak behind his decision to "retire" from the PDC. The Dutch Destroyer relinquished his Tour Card at the start of the year and said goodbye to professional darts after three decades. Few fans, however, realised the truth behind his plummeting ranking in 2024 – he was frequently visiting his dying sister Leomi, 50, in hospital and was also comforting her three children during these tough times.

Image Credit: The Sun [Vincent van der Voort playing darts.]

Speaking to Sunsport, the former UK Open finalist said: “The most important reason I left was in my personal life. “Two years ago, my sister was diagnosed with cancer. She passed away in July. “Once you get diagnosed with that, then you try everything to get better. It’s sometimes a fight you cannot win. “I took a lot of responsibility for that. For her kids, who are between the ages of 12-15. To take care of a lot of stuff.

“I underestimated that and what it does to you. To your head, your life and your mindset. “In the beginning, I thought: ‘I can do that – when I’m playing a tournament, I can park that'. “But at one point, I noticed that I couldn’t concentrate anymore. The further you go, you lose your confidence and you don’t want to be there anymore. “You don’t want to play. So, I said a year off is now the best thing for me to do.”.

Van der Voort – who is close pals with the Netherlands' three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen – is known for speaking his mind and ruffling feathers with the authorities. It was last summer before a key football match in Germany when the 49-year-old received a phone call that would change his life – and accelerate his departure from the PDC ranks. The two-time world championship quarter-finalist said: “I was going to ProTours, then coming back to the hospital every day, sitting there with my sister.

“I was invited to Holland versus France at the European Championships. “I was there and then I got a call: ‘You have to come back'. So my wife drove to Leipzig. “We drove back in the middle of the night. Then I had my last conversation with my sister. “But a week later, you have to go to the ProTours again. And you have to perform. At one point, I noticed: ‘I cannot do this'. “Once you mention something like this, there are always people who say: ‘Oh, he’s looking for an excuse or something'. Life can be very hard and very confronting.

“I know I have a big mouth. I say whatever I want and say how I see it. But this is something you cannot prepare for.”. Van der Voort – who has a history of back problems and also suffers “from gout and a sagging foot” – will play this year on the MODUS Super Series, which will be screened on Pluto TV. On Thursday evening, he faces Neil Duff in the first round of the four-day BetGoodwin World Seniors Darts Championship at the Circus Tavern in Essex.

His walk-on music will be the popular “Give it up” by KC & The Sunshine Band – but while the crowd love it, he famously thought “it’s a s*** song”. He said: “I don’t think I’m the favourite for the World Seniors. There are plenty of good players in it. “The likes of Simon Whitlock, Mervyn King, Steve Beaton and John Henderson. “I haven’t played a tournament in three months. I’m playing someone who is a really good player. He’s playing every week. I have to get fully focused and prepare myself as best as I can.