Ross Smith advanced to the second round of the 2024 World Grand Prix after a 2-0 win over Gian van Veen, registering the 9th highest average ever in the competition. He later expressed how ‘privileged’ he is to play darts for a living…
Ross Smith is curing having the best campaign of his darts career.
The 2022 European Championship winner has made it to the top 10 on the PDC Order of Merit following a successful year to date on the Pro Tour.
2 x European Tour finals (and 2 x semi-final positions), a Players Championship title and quarter-final position at the World Matchplay has seen Smith cement himself as a serious contender coming into the business end of the PDC season.
He continued his great form last night after a more than convincing 2-0 win over Gian van Veen in the first round of the 2024 World Grand Prix.
Smith registered the 9th highest ever average in the World Grand Prix with a 101.79, a huge average when you consider the double-in format of the tournament!
SUPERB FROM SMITH!
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) October 7, 2024
Ross Smith closes the curtain on Day 1 in Leicester, beating Gian van Veen with an average just shy of 102!
📺 https://t.co/BtWBaRnhB5#WGPDarts | R1 pic.twitter.com/Qbw4aYKWZY
His post game interview may have been more impressive though as he expressed his love for getting to play darts for a living as well as calling out players that might be ‘moaning’ about it…
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Ross Smith BLASTS Players ‘Moaning’ About Playing Darts
In his post game interview, a reporter mentioned that some players openly admit they’re not a big fan of playing darts (after Smith said how much he loved it) and Smith did not hesitate to say what a ‘privilege’ it is to play.
He responded:
“Look, if you can’t enjoy getting up there in front of 5,000, 10,000 people, whatever it is and playing in front of millions of people on TV and earning the money we earn through playing darts which is.. You know, it comes from the pub!
“I’ve driven a lorry, worked 10-12 hours a day minimum for 5-6 days a week and I’m telling you now it’s an absolute privilege to play this game.
“To where it’s got to now, I pinch myself. I count myself very lucky that I’m playing darts for a living, so if anyone’s moaning about it then just give up because I’ll happily take your place.”
We can appreciate that with the popularity of modern darts and efforts by the PDC to grow the game globally that players get tired from the travel, time away from family and difficulty competing at the highest level.
See his full post match interview on Live Darts TV below:
It’s great to hear Smith’s take on this though as someone that seems to be truly enjoying the opportunity of being a professional darts player that countless others dream of.
Luke Humphries even said recently he fell out of love with the Pro Tour as he was feeling tired from the hectic playing schedule for a top 8 player.
See more – “It takes its toll on you” – Luke Humphries on tiring darts schedule
^ Though Humphries is a great ambassador for the game so he wasn’t complaining just to make that clear.
Smith will definitely gain some new fan support with such a relatable take. He’ll now be facing Jonny Clayton in the second round of the World Grand Prix on Wednesday.
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