The world becomes flat – an interview with a darts great

Gabriel Clemens from Germany has made it to the top of the darts world rankings. Shortly before the World Cup in London, the world number 25 is looking forward to the atmosphere in the historic Ally Pally. But there are also abysses lurking in the shadows of the darts dream world, as “The German Giant” reveals in an interview with S+.

S+: Mr. Clemens, what are your expectations when traveling to London? Gabriel Clemens: I'm traveling to the World Cup with a really good feeling. I'm one of the seeded players in the tournament, which means I won't be taking part until the second round. That gives you self-confidence and a consistently good feeling. But I didn't train any differently before the World Cup or anything like that.

The Ally Pally is also the largest stage in darts. You can also notice in advance how people's interest in sport is increasing significantly. There is a lot more demand from me than is the case during the year. In London itself the stage has been the same for several years. The Ally Pally has a unique atmosphere, it is the loudest hall ever. So all in all the biggest stage in darts that you can imagine for the World Cup.

How do you experience this atmosphere as a player? Does it push you further or does the noise disturb your concentration? Well, I would say that both can be true. As is so often the case in life, it cannot be viewed in one side. It often depends on the current mood and situation. The volume can certainly disrupt concentration at times. That's the negative side of a stage like this. But fundamentally, the mood and support of the fans should be more motivation than disruption.

Preparation for a game is important, what does that look like for you? It looks pretty much the same to me before every game. So there is no difference whether I play a tournament during the year or a World Cup match in London. I don't really have any rituals or anything like that. In my case, on the day of the game, that always means that I'm already in the hall about three to three and a half hours before the game starts. Then I just start to warm up and get into the rhythm.

Then the game gets closer and closer and you try to keep your focus. I will be practicing the same way in London shortly. The World Cup trophy and its defender: Gerwyn Price. © Gerwyn Price/Instagram

How do you manage to stay focused during the game? That's really always the question. Sometimes this works better, sometimes worse and sometimes unfortunately not at all. Breathing exercises are definitely a way to focus better. With this I try to concentrate better and get my heart rate down again when things don't go as hoped. If you notice in the middle of the game that not much is coming together, I of course try to counteract that. This can be done, for example, through changes in the type of game.

For example, I sometimes try to throw the arrows a little faster or switch to a different rhythm. Putting more force into the throws can also be an effective solution. But often something like that doesn't help you in a game. You just have to grit your teeth and fight your way back somehow.

But behind the glittering facade of darts there are also abysses lurking. You received hate messages after your loss to Fallon Sherrock. How do you deal with this and where have you crossed a red line? For me it is very clear - as soon as it becomes personal and illness or even death is wished on yourself or your family, the line has clearly been crossed. Unfortunately, that has already happened. Fortunately, I have to say that very few people send comments like that. So it's not like I feel threatened by it or anything.

But the red line has been crossed when it comes to things like this. There are always some really unpleasant things. Even if 99,99 percent of the news you receive all year round is nice, there is also this other side. But this goes on all year round. Especially at larger tournaments and as soon as there is a defeat, comments like this happen again and again. Sometimes there are “only” two or three hate comments, sometimes significantly more. Unfortunately that's just the way it is.

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The world becomes flat – an interview with a darts great

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