Sporting Life
Paul Nicholson hails Gerwyn Price in his latest column
Paul Nicholson hails Gerwyn Price in his latest column

Gerwyn Price deserves huge praise for addressing a career slump and bouncing back to title-winning ways, writes darts pundit Paul Nicholson

By Paul Nicholson
Darts
Thu February 13, 2025 · 10M ago

Gerwyn Price won the second Players Championship event of the season on Tuesday to claim his first ranking title since November 2023 and in this week's column Paul Nicholson reflects on just how hard it is to rediscover form after a long slump.

Price's rapid rise and sudden fall

If you think about Gerwyn Price's first 10 years in the PDC, it was quite the meteoric rise. He was in the World Matchplay within 18 months of joining the tour and has been part of all the majors for a decade straight.

In that time he has won a world title, seven majors overall, three World Series titles, eight European Tour events, 18 Players Championship tournaments and two World Cups for Wales with Jonny Clayton.

So, when you've gone through all that, Price would be the first to admit that 2024 was a very tough season for him.

As well as going the entire year without a ranking title, he was also unable to reach the quarter-finals of any major tournament, finished seventh out of eight in the Premier League and dropped down to number 10 in the Order of Merit.

Gezzy had seemingly lost his stage presence as well as his enjoyment for the game, while the blockbuster performances of old had dried up.

His only taste of glory was in a couple of World Series events in Denmark and Australia, but while the prize money is decent, these aren't the kind of titles that the biggest names measure success by.

Failure to qualify for the Grand Slam of Darts for the first time since 2015 was another low point and that was followed by a first-round exit at the Players Championship Finals.

All of a sudden his inclusion in the Premier League was in real jeopardy heading to the World Championship, where few were talking up his chances of a lengthy run.

How hard is it when you've lost your form?

There was a time in 2011 where I genuinely felt the best player in the world. I'd beaten Phil Taylor en route to winning my first major title at the Players Championship Finals, I was regularly challenging at the business end of tournaments and I climbed up to 9 in the rankings.

Although I still felt I deserved a Premier League call-up for the following year, I didn't expect the glory days to end anytime soon.

When the averages drop and the winning stops, it's incredibly hard to stop.

As tough as it was in my peak years, it's even worse for players these days due to all the statistics and data that's so readily available, as well as all the analysis on TV and social media.

Many years ago you could lose a match and feel like you'd still played well - but never really know for sure. You were left in the dark because you just didn't have the information at hand.

But now, with Dart Connect and all kinds of other data websites and social media, it is right there. You can analyse your failures more than you could before.

There's actually a way of digging a deeper hole for yourself these days because of the amount of information. To a certain degree I believe that 'ignorance is bliss' in darts, especially from a psychological point of view.

Analytical players are digging so deep that they just find themselves lost in numbers and social media postings from people who think they're on the slide, and that can really affect your confidence.

Some players may claim they revel in 'experts' and fans writing them off, but it's still not a nice feeling and is just another negative thought in your brain when you're trying to rediscover your winning tough.

Finding solutions

It took Price missing the Grand Slam - his perceived best tournament - to give him a break that he used to realise that something's not right.

And that's one of the best characteristics about Price for me.

Over the last 10 years, whether he enjoys it or not he finds a a way to make it work. When he first played in the World Grand Prix, he didn't like the format. What did he do? He figured it out and went on to win it. He didn't like the Premier League at first but realised it was great for his profile and great for his sponsors so he got to grips with the road show element and went on to reach the final.

When he missed out on the Grand Slam and wasn't enjoying the sport, what did he do? He got himself a sports psychologist and rediscovered his positive approach to the game.

A strong support team is extremely important for any successful darts player - especially during troubled times so this was an inspired move from Gezzy.

He was probably looking at darts very negatively at points last year as we saw with several social media posts of his. He didn't want to travel to all these places and would rather stay at home with his family and look at other opportunities that are on offer for him.

Everybody has these spells where they they think about doing something else and darts takes a back seat. However at his age, he's arguably in his peak years for a darts player and he can't waste it.

With the amount of prize money in the sport, the next decade could be extremely profitable and successful for him and his family if he regains the enjoyment and performance levels of old.

This sport gives us all some great highs but behind the success is a lot of hard work, travelling, practicing and coping with a lot of frustrating results so being surrounded by the right people will always be key. Just look at Peter Wright, Gary Anderson and Luke Humphries as examples of people who have incredibly supportive families and networks behind them. Price is no different.

If I could have my time again I'd look at improving my support network because I was very much an “I'll do my own thing and everyone else can go to hell" type of person. After all, Assets tend to work alone.

It was clear during his World Championship run to the quarter-final that Gezzy was loving life back on the big stage again with his trademark celebrations after great shots, while he even enjoyed fun and games with the crowd when things got spicy against Chris Dobey.

Although he'd later lose that epic match, he did so with a smile on his face and it really felt like the old Price was on his way back.

Enjoyment is key to reach the top in any sport and darts is no different. If you ask top-level players how many of them weren't enjoying darts when winning tournaments, there won't be many at all.

Gezzy never gets the credit he deserves for figuring out his problems and becoming a stronger player. When he's knocked down he always comes back.

Price has also done the nutrition and fitness angles in the past as well. There is no stone he won't turn over, and this is what impresses me the most, because he's willing to do anything to reach the top again. And you can't say that about many people in any sport.

How hard is it to bounce back

In 2011, I genuinely thought I was the best player on the planet and that's something that I will treasure forever.

At that point, I thought it would continue for a long time because I believed I’d found the formula to be successful. I was fit, I was clear in mind, I felt strong and confident.

But these are some things that don't last forever if you're weak mentally - whether it's conscious or subconscious.

What you've got to say to yourself at that point is, "if somebody knocks me down, I will have to figure out a way back to where I am".

Sadly I didn't think that way at the time. I wasn't savvy enough mentally and I've always had a very thin skin. That was my biggest Achilles heel although I didn't know that at the time.

I thought I was developing a thick skin. I thought there's nothing I can't deflect. I could beat Phil Taylor. I could beat Gary Anderson. I could beat Adrian Lewis. I'm strong enough to do this now, and I'll keep getting stronger.

That, however, was temporary. There were other things that would knock me down in the years to come.

But when it comes to Price, I think we're starting to understand that after 11 years on tour his skin is a lot thicker and tougher than people give him credit for, and he's got the same thick skin that Michael Van Gerwen and Gary Anderson have. This is something you need for a long career at the top.

Having picked up a Players Championship title after a very impressive start to 2025, he's going to build his confidence and be a real threat in the Premier League for the next few weeks.

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