RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD admits he “can’t do another year” in darts if his results don’t improve.
The Dutchman, 58, boasts five world titles and was Phil Taylor‘s greatest adversary in his pomp.
But he has not been beyond the fourth round of the World Darts Championship since 2018, and his results of late have been especially bleak.
Of the nine matches Barney has played since late October, he has lost eight of them.
And one win from six meetings is all he has to show for this season’s Players Championship grind.
Van Barneveld told Online Darts: “I’m like an old lion or an old tiger – leave me alone. They have the fire.
“At the moment the fire isn’t there for me. I don’t want to give up yet. But if this year is really bad, I can’t do another year.”
Van Barneveld fiddled with different set-ups and spent time on holiday after losing 3-0 to world No118 Stefan Bellmont at the worlds in December.
Throw in struggles with diabetes and the early start time at Pro Tour events, and Barney is not surprised he is finding it difficult.
He said: “When people see Raymond van Barneveld averaging in the 70s on the Pro Tour, they think that’s not the real Raymond.
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“It’s doing my head in at the moment. I need to stick to one set-up now.
“Sometimes it’s ageing, muscle memory, diabetes, travelling all the time, waking up early, flights, long taxi journeys. When you’re 58 you don’t do that as easily anymore compared to youngsters.
“The worst moments are when you’re in a hotel in places like Leicester or Wigan, and you’ve lost in the first round two days running.
“You’ve left home for three or four days and there are no results. Those are the hardest moments and nobody sees that.
“I’ve won so many titles in my career, and now suddenly it’s not happening. You can’t even win a first round on the Pro Tour. That’s hard.
“But if you believe in yourself and keep working hard, it can come back.”
