Gian van Veen: Mental Coach Helped Me Turn My Season Around

Gian van Veen opened his BOYLE Sports World Grand Prix campaign with a straight-sets win over Dirk van Duijvenbode in Leicester.

The result leaves the 24-year-old provisionally set to leapfrog Luke Humphries into the world number two spot once the tournament concludes.

It continues a remarkable turnaround for van Veen, who has fought back from dartitis to establish himself as the Dutch number one.

After a difficult start to the year, he arrives in the last 16 with real momentum behind him.

PDC Official Quotes and Mental Health Insights

Speaking in the PDC official interview, van Veen admitted the year has been a struggle, but said his form has turned sharply in recent weeks. “This year has been tough, but the last couple of weeks have been really good.”

He pointed to matches in Amsterdam and Leicester as evidence of the shift. “When I beat [Karel] Sedlacek in Amsterdam, I said that a couple of months ago I would have lost that game, and it was the same against Dirk,” he said.

The win over van Duijvenbode included a composed finish on double 16. “I think the double 16 I hit for the 69 finish showed how much confidence I have in my own game,” he added.

“I probably would have missed that a couple of months ago because I was doubting myself, so I think this is a big step for myself.”

He is not getting carried away just yet. “Maybe I’m not back to where I was at my peak last year, but I’m getting there and I feel close to it,” he said.

Van Veen traced his dip in form back to a tough run on the European Tour. “It’s been very tough. I played so many European Tours week in week out where I lost my first game, and I was sat in my hotel room thinking: ‘How do I turn this around?’”

He credited a change in approach for the recovery. “It was difficult, but I spoke to the right people, I practiced a lot, put big effort in and I think that’s what really turned my game around,” he said.

Opening up has not come naturally to him. “I’m a person that always keeps thoughts to myself, but that’s not how it works.”

Van Veen has worked with a mental coach for several years and leaned on that relationship through his toughest spells.

“I have had a mental coach for the past few years. I’ve spoken to him quite a lot over the last couple of months about my feelings and I’ve talked about what I feel is going wrong,”

He explained that the work matters for his life away from the board as much as it does for his game. “I think the impact is showing in the way I’m playing, and I’m very grateful for that,” he said.

Van Veen believes attitudes toward sports psychology across the circuit have shifted. “Maybe five or ten years ago, players would say: ’No that’s not for us,’” he said. “I think the sport is changing, the pressure is changing on every single player, and I think it’s necessary.”

“I feel the pressure of course. We all do,” he said. “I can speak to my mental coach about my own story and how I feel, and I think that’s very necessary for a player like me.”

Ranking Rise and Tactical Breakthrough

Gian van Veen is only 24, but his climb through the world rankings has been rapid.

Provisional results at the World Grand Prix put him on course to overtake Luke Humphries and move up to world number two, underlining how far he has come since establishing himself as the Dutch number one.

The turnaround has not been straightforward. Van Veen underwent surgery for kidney stones in March, a setback that disrupted his debut season in the Premier League.

He has since reached the semi-finals of July’s World Matchplay and the semi-finals of the World Series of Darts Finals, both signs that his best form was returning before Leicester.

That progress built on his Players Championship final appearance against Menzies, and has fed into a growing rivalry with Luke Littler at the top of the sport.

Van Veen remains a two-time World Youth Champion, and his record already includes last October’s European Championship title and a run to the World Darts Championship final in January.

Searle Showdown and World Grand Prix Schedule

Van Veen’s reward for beating van Duijvenbode is a last 16 tie against Ryan Searle on Thursday evening at the Mattioli Arena, with a quarter final place at stake.

Searle holds the edge in their head to head record, having won five of their nine previous meetings.

A win would extend van Veen’s best run of form since his surgery in March and keep his provisional climb to world number two intact heading into the knockout stages.

Readers tracking the rest of the draw can follow our World Grand Prix fantasy coverage for how the bracket is shaping up.

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