Exclusive Interview | Germany's Ricardo Pietreczko full of confidence before World Cup of Darts debut: 'We do have an edge compared to other nations'

Ricardo Pietreczko made a strong start to the 2025 European Darts Open in Leverkusen with a convincing opening-round win. In an all-German clash, "Pikachu" comfortably saw off European Tour debutant Moritz Bohrmann 6–2. Speaking exclusively to Dartsnews.de just moments after the match, the 30-year-old discussed a bizarre counting error, his current top form, and the upcoming World Cup of Darts.

“It was a good game – from him too, a really strong debut,” Pietreczko said of his opening win. On the unusual counting mishap, he admitted: “Yeah, the miscount... honestly, I’ve no idea what I was adding up there. I can’t even really remember what I hit. I just asked Franz (Engerer, editor's note) again if I really had three left – and yes, it was three points remaining. I don’t know what happened there. That’s what can happen when you’re in the zone.”

Pietreczko had nothing but praise for his opponent Moritz Bohrmann, who was making his first appearance on the European Tour stage: “As far as I can remember, that was our first meeting. I really like him – we had a good chat during the warm-up. Great guy, and he didn’t win a NEXT GEN event for nothing. He’s also a really strong player. If he keeps at it, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him on the tour in two or three years.”

After a mixed 2024 season, Pietreczko is clearly back in top form. On the Players Championship circuit, he recently reached multiple board finals as well as a last 16 and a quarter-final. Just last weekend, he stormed into the quarter-finals of a European Tour event. “At the moment, I’m feeling amazing – everything’s going brilliantly,” he said with a smile. “Especially with Lena (Pietreczko’s partner, editor’s note) by my side – it’s always really special when she’s there. I look over at her and she immediately calms my nerves. Especially in Rosmalen, where things finally clicked again on the floor. She’s a real calming presence for me.”

Thanks to his strong recent performances, Pietreczko has put himself in a promising position in the race to qualify for the World Matchplay. But just how much is that target on his mind during the tournament? “The Matchplay race is definitely in my head backstage – but on stage, I honestly don’t care about it at all,” he explained. “When you’re up there, you just want to win that match.”

As a reward for his commanding victory, Pietreczko will face none other than Germany’s number one, Martin Schindler, in tomorrow’s second round. It’s a fascinating match-up, especially with the pair set to represent Germany together at the World Cup of Darts in just a few weeks’ time. “I’m intrigued,” Pietreczko grinned. “We’ve already had a little chat about the World Cup – things like who’ll throw first and who’ll do the bull-off. I’m looking forward to the match tomorrow. It’ll be our first meeting since we found out we’ll be partnering up for Germany.”

Ricardo Pietreczko and Martin Schindler – a duo combining clinical finishing with world-class scoring power. Many German fans are already excited about the new dream team heading to the World Cup. But how does Pietreczko himself assess the partnership? “I think, as German players, we do have a bit of an edge compared to some other nations, because we tend to play more pairs events here in Germany – which you don’t really see much of in England,” he said. “But yeah – Martin’s strong on the scoring, strong on the doubles – I’m strong on the doubles, and sometimes strong on the scoring too. Let’s see what happens… maybe even a cheeky run to the Grand Slam?” he added with a wink, hinting at the possibility of a deep run for Team Germany.