'What he’s going through might be even tougher than what Michael Smith is facing' - Glen Durrant raises concern for absent former World Matchplay champion

With the draw for the 2025 World Matchplay now having been confirmed, there are some very notable absentees from the list of players involved. Whilst most attention has naturally been drawn towards the former world champion Michael Smith's absence, having reached the semi-finals just last year as the number 3 seed, ex-pro and two-time World Matchplay semi-finalist in his own right, Glen Durrant, believes another missing big name raises more concern.

"I was shocked, first of all, about Michael Smith," began 'Duzza's assessment of the World Matchplay field, in conversation with the Weekly Dartscast. "He was a semi-finalist last year and, of course, famously a world champion. He’s got that Rolls-Royce throw and he’s a heavy practiser, so it’s surprising."

Durrant, who himself suffered a sharp decline and ultimate fall off the PDC Pro Tour, believes missing the yearly spectacle at the Winter Gardens will come as a real blow for Smith's psyche.

"I go back to something he said after he won the world title — that he lived the next 12 months as a champion. And part of me wonders if he regrets not saving that for a couple of years down the line. It's so difficult, even for someone as talented as he is, to bounce back," Durrant analyses. "The circuit is brutal. But he’s a young lad — he’ll be hurting. He might not say he is, but it’ll feel strange not being part of it."

As mentioned though, whilst Smith's failure to quality has garnered many headlines, Durrant sees another big name absentee as arguably more concerning. That being the 2020 World Matchplay champion Dimitri van den Bergh.