Mike De Decker: Major winner ready to feel comfortable at Alexandra Palace as he plots World Darts Championship success
Mike De Decker heads to Alexandra Palace as a major champion after beating Luke Humphries to win the World Grand Prix in October; Belgian is now more confident than ever; watch every session of the World Darts Championship from December 15-January 3 live on Sky Sports
Monday 9 December 2024 10:22, UK
At the beginning of October, Mike De Decker would not have envisioned that he would be heading to the World Darts Championship as a major champion.
But his sensational 6-4 victory over world no 1 Luke Humphries at the World Grand Prix saw him scoop the £120,000 top prize following a thrilling final.
Now, De Decker heads to the Worlds as a player in form, full of confidence, and one of the names many think can cause some upsets.
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De Decker himself, while remaining realistic, admits that the World Grand Prix win in October has been a huge boost for his career and has made him comfortable on the big stage.
"It's been brilliant. I didn't expect to win the Grand Prix. I'd never reached the last 16 before that," De Decker said.
"It's been a massive change in my career, in my life even. It's been amazing.
"If you do well in these tournaments you have a lot of confidence going into the big one, the Worlds. It's a massive help, doing well.
"I was always kind of scared to go on stage and play in front of a big crowd. Now I'm just feeling OK with it.
"I'm not more nervous than I am at a floor tournament. I'm feeling more confident than ever.
"I'm dreaming about just maybe once picking up that trophy. But for now, I'm just hoping to survive Christmas. It's always been two games and now it's just one game I need to win.
"So hopefully I can do it this time."
Prior to his major win, De Decker admitted he used to feel the nerves much more in the big TV tournaments. But now, he gets the thrill of being announced as the World Grand Prix champion and is loving interacting with the crowd as they belt out his walk on tune Three Little Birds.
"It did the last couple of years [make me nervous] but now I'm enjoying the walk-ons, I'm enjoying the crowd. So no, not more nervous than before," he added.
"I've had it at the European Championships. I had it in Prague at the European Tour. It gives me chills if John McDonald calls it.
"I think everyone who's a dart player wants to be No 1 of the world or a world champion, so that's a goal for me. I just want to get as high in the rankings as I can."
When will the World Darts Championship take place?
The tournament gets under way at Alexandra Palace on Sunday December 15, with three first-round matches and one second-round match on the opening evening.
There will be live darts over each of the following eight days, including seven afternoon sessions, with the usual three-day break from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day, before returning with the third round and a double session on December 27.
The third and fourth rounds will be completed by December 30 before a night off on New Year's Eve, with the quarter-finals held across two sessions on New Year's Day, ahead of the semi-finals on January 2 and the final on Friday January 3.
The full day-by-day schedule for this year's tournament can be found here.
Who will win the Paddy Power World Darts Championship? Watch every match exclusively live from December 15-January 3 on Sky Sports' dedicated darts channel. Get Sky Sports or stream with NOW.
