Gerwyn Price feels like he should be favourite for the World Matchplay after an impressive spell of form in recent weeks.
The Iceman is bidding for a first Matchplay title and is in confident mood after winning the Poland Darts Masters and Baltic Sea Darts Open this month.
The 40-year-old beat the likes of Luke Humphries, Stephen Bunting, Rob Cross, Chris Dobey and Gary Anderson on his way to those two titles and is now feeling as good as he has done in a long while.
The bookmakers have Price as third favourite behind Luke Littler and Luke Humphries ahead of Blackpool, but he is not so sure they have got it right.
Asked if third in the betting is a fair reflection, he said: ‘No, I think I should be favourite.’
Explaining why, the former world champion said: ‘I’m coming back into form, I wouldn’t say I’m at my ultimate best but at those crunch moments…I could have gone out to Wessel Nijmen in the European [Baltic Sea], I had to take out a 119, took that out.
‘I had to take out another big shot later in the tournament, those shots are going in. The last two years those darts are not going in, I was missing doubles, but that’s changing round now. Sometimes you need that little bit of luck.
‘You don’t know if they’re going to go in, you feel like they’re going to go in. There’s always a doubt, but the last couple of weeks they have been going in. The last 12-18 months they haven’t been and someone does it against you and you’re out of the tournament. I just need to ride that wave.’
The time is ticking by since Price last won a major PDC title, with the 2023 World Cup the last big win and the 2022 World Series of Darts Finals the last big singles triumph.
In terms of more traditional major titles it is not since his incredible 2021 when he won the World Championship at Grand Slam that Price has had his hands on silverware.
World Matchplay odds
Luke Littler 2/1
Luke Humphries 4/1
Gerwyn Price 8/1
Josh Rock 14/1
Michael van Gerwen 18/1
Gary Anderson 18/1
Stephen Bunting 20/1
Nathan Aspinall 22/1
Jonny Clayton 25/1
Gian van Veen 28/1
Chris Dobey 33/1
Rob Cross 50/1
Mike de Decker 50/1
Wessel Nijman 50/1
Ross Smith 50/1
Damon Heta 50/1
Dirk van Duijvenbode 50/1
Ryan Searle 66/1
Martin Schindler 66/1
James Wade 66/1
Dave Chisnall 80/1
Danny Noppert 80/1
Peter Wright 100/1
Cameron Menzies 100/1
Jermaine Wattimena 100/1
Daryl Gurney 100/1
Joe Cullen 125/1
Ryan Joyce 150/1
Andrew Gilding 150/1
Raymond van Barneveld 150/1
Luke Woodhouse 200/1
Ricardo Pietreczko 200/1
Odds courtesy of tournament sponsor Betfred
Not that the wait for major success is bothering him, confident in his ability and knowing that when everything is right in his mind, he can beat anyone.
‘I don’t need to prove anything to anyone, I don’t need to prove anything to myself,’ he said.
‘I know how good I am when I want to be. When I turn up at the big majors I know I can win them. It’s just what frame of mind I turn up in. Some tournaments I turn up and don’t feel as good as others, but that’s just the way that sport goes sometimes.’
Price faces Daryl Gurney in the opening round in Blackpool on Monday evening, with the tournament getting underway at the Winter Gardens on Saturday night.
PDC World Matchplay schedule
Saturday July 19
7pm
James Wade v Joe Cullen
Danny Noppert v Cameron Menzies
Luke Humphries v Gian van Veen
Nathan Aspinall v Wessel Nijman
Sunday July 20
1pm
Damon Heta v Andrew Gilding
Rob Cross v Dirk van Duijvenbode
Peter Wright v Jermaine Wattimena
Dave Chisnall v Mike De Decker
7pm
Gary Anderson v Luke Woodhouse
Jonny Clayton v Martin Schindler
Luke Littler v Ryan Searle
Stephen Bunting v Ryan Joyce
Monday July 21
7pm
Chris Dobey v Ricardo Pietreczko
Gerwyn Price v Daryl Gurney
Michael van Gerwen v Raymond van Barneveld
Ross Smith v Josh Rock
Tuesday July 22
Second Round – 7pm
Humphries/Van Veen v Noppert/Menzies
Aspinall/Nijman v Wade/Cullen
Bunting/Joyce v Anderson/Woodhouse
Clayton/Schindler v Chisnall/De Decker
Wednesday July 23
Second Round x4 – 7pm
Littler/Searle v Wright/Wattimena
Heta/Gilding v Cross/Van Duijvenbode
Van Gerwen/Van Barneveld v Smith/Rock
Dobey/Pietreczko v Price/Gurney
Thursday July 24
Quarter-Finals – 8pm
Friday July 25
Quarter-Finals – 8pm
Saturday July 26
Semi-Finals – 8pm
Sunday July 27
Final – 8pm