'It was a bit more irritating than the other ones': Mike de Decker gets latest tattoo amid not ideal preparation

Mike de Decker has wasted no time making his mark on his first trip to New Zealand — quite literally. The Belgian star revealed he recently had a traditional Māori tattoo done during his visit, thanks to a connection through fellow PDC professional Dimitri Van den Bergh.

“Well, it’s a traditional Māori tattoo,” de Decker explained to the Kiwi Darts Podcast. “I did two Māori tattoos before — one in Holland and one in Belgium — and because Māori is from New Zealand, I knew I was going to get one here. So I texted Dimitri, he got me in contact with the tattoo artist, and done deal.”

Van den Bergh, a regular visitor to the World Series events in Australia and New Zealand, had also been under the needle earlier in the week. “Yeah, he got a tattoo the day before yesterday, and he had one a couple of years ago too. We talked a bit about that,” de Decker said. “I’ve got one on my right leg and one on my left forearm as well. You need a good night’s sleep before you get a tattoo, and I didn’t have that, so it was a bit more irritating than the other ones — but I sat through it, so it’s fine.”

The New Zealand trip has been a new adventure for the World Grand Prix champion, who only recently adjusted to the time difference. “I did one day through Auckland, but it’s only the last two days I’ve been sleeping well. I haven’t been doing much because I was tired all the time. We’re going to take a helicopter ride on Saturday, see the city from on top. My best friend is here with me, so it’s good that I’m not here alone — it’s been nice.”

De Decker is one of three new faces in the World Series line-up for this leg of the tour, having received the call earlier in the year. “I was happy with the call, because if I didn’t have it, we’d have had three weeks off. I was planning to do a little holiday anyway, together with my best friend, so it was a nice call-up to come over here,” he said.

“In the beginning of the year, I did an interview because I got invited for the World Series in Holland, and I said I’d rather go to Australia and New Zealand — countries I’ve never been to — than go to Holland for the World Series. I guess they listened!”

Backing up Wollongong run

The Belgian arrives in Auckland on the back of a run to the final in Australia, buoyed by some recent technical changes. “I made a little tweak on my darts a couple of weeks ago, and it’s working out for now. Hopefully I can continue this because the rest of the year is really important. We have quite a lot of big majors coming up, so yeah, I’m hoping I can continue this.”

It’s been a whirlwind 12 months for de Decker, capped by his World Grand Prix triumph. “It’s been a rollercoaster. My career skyrocketed with winning the World Grand Prix, but it’s opened a lot of doors. That’s why I’m here, and that’s why I’m considered one of the top players in the PDC now. It’s been a great last year.”

He’s also looking forward to engaging with local fans and soaking up the atmosphere of the Auckland crowd. “I love the New Zealand accents — for me, it sounds like they’re all really laid back and relaxed. I did some media with Haupai Puha in Wollongong and he’s really laid back as well, so that’s a nice thing. The crowd in Wollongong was quite similar to the UK and other big tournaments — they’re all out for a night of fun, and you can tell they love enjoying the darts. Hopefully it’s the same here.”

As for preparation, de Decker likes to keep it simple. “I usually go to the venue about four hours before my game, have a practice, listen to some music, and that’s it really.”