Struggling Luke Littler opponent could quit darts immediately after facing The Nuke in New York
Stuggling Jules van Dongen could quit the game after his emotional clash with Luke Littler in New York.
The Dutch-American star has already announced his is taking a temporary break after the US Darts Masters for a reset amidst struggles in the sport.
Van Dongen has had plenty to deal with in recent times on-and-off the stages and has also hinted at retirement with the dreaded dartitis forcing him to learn to play with his opposite hand to try and prolong his career. The 34-year-old has also had to deal with both of his parents suffering illness and intends to take a step away from the sport after Madison Square Gardens.
Van Dongen, who has been drawn to face Littler in the first round of the tournament in the Big Apple and is also set to feature in Saturday afternoon's North American Darts Championship with an opening tie against Stowe Buntz, said: "Once this run is over, the darts are going back in the case. It's time for a full reset.
'One day I say I'm not playing, the next I'm back in again. But for now, I'll be up there on the stage. Expectations are lower now and that actually helps. At the UK Open, not everyone realised how badly things were going. By now, it's pretty clear.'
Van Dongen's mum and dad are finally scheduled to be in New York to see him on the MSG stage and facing The Nuke as he explained to sportnieuws.nl: 'They've been trying to come for three years. Covid stopped them the first time, then my dad tested positive, and last year my mum was diagnosed with cancer. Thankfully, she's now fully recovered. That alone makes this event unmissable for me.'
Van Dongen's kids will also be in the crowds watching and he'd love to finish in style as he said: 'I just want to give it one last proper go. No pressure, no expectations, just me, my family and the stage at The Garden.'
Littler is aware of the situation having made reference to the fact van Dongen is not having an easy time of it during his pre-tournament media briefing. The World Champion said: 'He's going through quite a lot at the minute.'
The teenage sensation has his own reasons for wanting success as he aims to bounce back from the disappointment of the World Cup flop with Luke Humphries. Littler said: 'I'm feeling very, very confident. I've just had a family holiday in Spain, but now I'm here, I'll obviously practise before I play, but just trying to get another win here at the MSG. I think the first game in any tournament, it's always the biggest because you've got that winning feeling on stage and you know how to win. I just look forward to that.'
'Obviously me and Luke didn't play the best of darts [at World Cup], but now I'm on my own let's have some fun. There's plenty of darts left to be thrown in the second half of the year, which I'm looking forward to.
'The amount of majors that are involved at the minute, the amount of European tours that are left, but this would be really good to kickstart the second half of the season.'
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