Players Championship winner Cameron Menzies reveals heart attack scare before World Matchplay incident
Players Championship 29 winner Cameron Menzies reveals past heart scare and how he uses water and electrolytes to prevent dehydration issues that derailed his World Matchplay run; you can watch World Grand Prix Darts live on Sky Sports from September 28 - October 4
Tuesday 22 September 2026 21:30, UK
Players Championship 29 winner Cameron Menzies has revealed he feared he was suffering a heart attack on a flight to Switzerland, prompting him to take a serious look at his lifestyle.
Menzies saw off Gian van Veen 8-4 in the final to claim his second ProTour title of 2026 on Tuesday.
Menzies continued his sparkling Players Championship form to claim a fourth PDC ranking title at Maassport Den Bosch, after an impressive string of seven straight wins.
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After capturing his second title of the year, the Scot, reflected on his medical episode in Blackpool when he was forced to withdraw from the tournament after being taken ill during his second-round match against Ross Smith.
"Even before [the incident] happened, as you can see I've lost a bit of weight. Last year I was heading to Switzerland and I genuinely thought I was having a heart attack on the plane," explained Menzies. "I went for scans because heart problems is something that runs in my family.
"They told me I needed to lose weight, but the thing with the Ross Smith match is that I went for tests after and they believe it was dehydration but it caused my blood pressure to go high because I was panicking. I've never had that before."
Menzies: We're not all athletes here!
The 37-year-old World Cup semi-finalist continued: "I went for blood tests to check for more serious issues, including my heart. I went to Glasgow Jubilee Hospital and spent 10 hours there, but everything came back fine apart from my blood pressure being a little high. I explained what happened in Blackpool and they believe it was dehydration. I hope it was, because it means I just need to look after myself a bit more.
"I'll go and have some water and electrolytes after this, but we're not all athletes here, I get that! It's long days. I've been here since 9.30 this morning. These are long days, so you have to look after yourself. I'm getting older now, so I need to look after myself.
"My breakfast today was porridge, so I've not eaten all day. I would usually go and get a pizza, but I need to try to be better.
"A lot of players go jogging or walking now. Darts is probably better than it's ever been because all these young kids are coming through and they're all fit athletes. It's not like when we grew up playing in clubs and pubs. These guys are in youth systems. They're catching up."
Menzies averaged more than 101 in his opening victory over Nick Kenny before surviving an impressive comeback from Canada's Jim Long in a last-leg decider.
After seeing off Slovenia's Benjamin Pratnemer 6-4, he then defeated top seed Wessel Nijman by the same scoreline.
Menzies saw off Jeffrey de Graaf 6-3 with another stellar average to reach the semi-finals, where he overcame another Dutchman, Kevin Doets, to book his place in a third Players Championship final in his last five events.
He stormed into a 5-0 lead, denying Van Veen a dart at double during a brilliant opening burst, before the Dutchman responded with three consecutive legs.
The Scot held his nerve, however, winning three of the next four legs to seal victory and claim the £15,000 top prize in the Netherlands.
"I'm grateful to be in this position and it's not like I take it for granted or anything, but I would like to finish the year on a high. I'm in the Worlds and maybe the Grand Slam, so I'm in a very fortunate position," said Menzies.
The PDC ProTour season continues with Players Championship 30 on Wednesday, with the race to qualify for the 2026 Ladbrokes Players Championship Finals intensifying.
2026 Players Championship 29
Tuesday September 22
Maassport Den Bosch, Den Bosch
Last 16
Cameron Menzies 6-4 Wessel Nijman
Jeffrey de Graaf 6-4 Danny Noppert
Kevin Doets 6-5 Cristo Reyes
Jermaine Wattimena 6-3 Callan Rydz
Oskar Lukasiak 6-4 Dave Chisnall
William O'Connor 6-4 Cor Dekker
Chris Dobey 6-3 Josh Rock
Gian van Veen 6-5 Nathan Apsinall
Quarter-Finals
Cameron Menzies 6-3 Jeffrey de Graaf
Kevin Doets 6-2 Jermaine Wattimena
William O'Connor 6-3 Oskar Lukasiak
Gian van Veen 6-5 Chris Dobey
Semi-Finals
Cameron Menzies 7-5 Kevin Doets
Gian van Veen 7-5 William O'Connor
Final
Cameron Menzies 8-4 Gian van Veen
Nine-Darters
Cristo Reyes hit a nine-darter in his round one win against Ian White
Max Hopp also struck the perfect leg in his round two win over Tom Bissell
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