'I will come back stronger' - Dimitri van den Bergh addresses ongoing darting absence for the first time

Dimitri Van den Bergh has recently announced that he is putting his professional darts career on hold. The 30-year-old Belgian has made a conscious decision to step away from the circuit for a while to focus on his health and overall well-being. It remains unclear when or where he will return to competitive play.

Van den Bergh actually started the year on a positive note, reaching the semi-finals of the Winmau World Masters. In early March, he also made it to the last 16 of the UK Open — a tournament he won just last year. However, his performances in other events have been disappointing, with a string of early exits. As a result, he has dropped to 21st in the world rankings.

A few weeks ago, Van den Bergh withdrew from a Players Championship event just moments before his scheduled match against Portugal’s Jose de Sousa. Everything seemed normal at first — he was warming up as usual — but just minutes before the game, he decided not to compete, saying he didn’t feel ready. He also pulled out of the following day’s Players Championship and was absent from the most recent Euro Tour event as well.

Little information has been made public about the reasons behind Van den Bergh’s sudden withdrawals. His partner, Evi, shared on social media that a statement would be released when they felt the time was right. Rumours quickly began circulating that Van den Bergh would be out of action for at least two months, although this has never been officially confirmed.

Van den Bergh himself though, has now briefly addressed the situation in an Instagram post: "I wanna put a little message out there to all the support that I am receiving," begins the two-time major winner. "Thank you sooo much to you all! Appreciate it all 1 million% I will come back stronger."

All eyes are now on whether Van den Bergh will take part in the upcoming World Cup of Darts, scheduled for June 12–15 in Frankfurt, Germany. He typically represents Belgium in this team event alongside Mike De Decker, who currently sits just one place below him in the world rankings.