Rob Cross makes major lifestyle change as he goes on the hunt to take Luke Littler's crown

Daily Record

4 hours ago

Former World champion on fitness push to try and win the Worlds again
Driven Rob Cross has kicked a new exercise regime into top gear as he fights to get back to the summit and win a second World title.
The 2018 PDC darts king is determined to have a strong second-half of the year after a up-and-down start to 2025.
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Cross says he has to do the graft on and off the board and is working on a fitness plan to help him reach peak performance in his quest to regain the title held by Luke Littler. He explained: 'At the minute, I've been on a diet and trying to take a little bit of weight off and I feel like I've put too much weight on and they're long days and you can be somewhere for 12 hours in a day, so I've got a bit of exercise in and lost a bit of weight. I want to freshen up and get the best out of myself going forward when I return.
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'It's an exciting time and it's a crest of a wave if you get a bit of form from September onwards because you have four months of a build-up towards the World Championship and, if I could have anything in life, I would have the world title again. It's the best thing in the game, the pinnacle of the sport and it is what everyone wants. You have to feel blessed to have it but I want to win it again.
'I want to 100 per cent win tournaments. Don't get me wrong, it's great to make a Final, but it sucks being second best. At the same time, it's good to be in the mix but I want to get my game up and be in the mix of everything I play. I can sometimes have a bad game but if I can get that out and feel like I can turn up and win the tournament then that's where I want to be, but winning tournaments is the main goal.'
Cross' next big target is the World MatchPlay, which he won in 2019, as he recovers from the gruelling stretch of the Premier League. He said: 'I thought I started playing strong. It was a shame, whether it was energy levels or other things, I'm not sure but for whatever reason, I couldn't win to get to the semi-finals especially when I had a few chances but I thoroughly enjoyed the Premier League. It's a little bit ropey when you know you're out and you have to jump through hoops where I don't think my body's going to fit through that. I really enjoyed it and believe I played really well at times.
'But if you don't get results and don't take your chances then it's very limited and you may only get one double in a game, and it has to go in. For me, there were a few chances in games where I could've got a few more points and took the pressure off myself and then I would've been a lot closer and not feeling the burden in week 10 or 11. That's my own fault.
'But, going forward since finishing the Premier League, I'm nice and refreshed. I've had a bit of time off with the family and I just want to get the head down now and get ready for the Matchplay next month. I'm trying to implement a new set of darts right now and it's unusual for me to change but I really like these darts. It's all positive.
'I never picked up my darts for nearly two-and-a-half weeks, maybe three weeks, before Copenhagen, so I've just been trying to freshen up and get myself back to where I want to get to by starting to feel fresh again.
'Especially from September that's where all of the big TV tournaments start and for the Matchplay being around the corner in July, the ambition is to win a second one of them. You have to do it and feel good in yourself.'