Schindler: “I used to think about how I should cheer”

Germany’s number one: Martin Schindler.
IMAGO/Photo News

“The bearer of hope” or “I trust him the most” – the expectations from Germany of the country’s number one, Martin Schindler, are enormous. But the pressure from outside seems to bounce off a wall like a ball. Befitting his nickname “The Wall”.

Of course, the Rodgauer also formulates ambitious goals (“An exit in the first two rounds would not be acceptable for me”), but he no longer attaches any importance to the opinions of outsiders. “I don’t worry about how I come across to someone anymore or anything else. I remember, I used to worry about how I should cheer. Now I let it out as it comes,” said Schindler in the Interview with Elmar Paulkes Road to Ally Pally.

It was a very good year, maybe not the best in terms of play, but in terms of results.

The maturity he has gained is one reason for the strong season: Schindler was the first German to celebrate two tournament victories on the European Tour – the International Darts Open in Riesa and the Swiss Darts Trophy in Basel – and was the first German to throw a nine-darter on the second-class tour. Nevertheless, from his own perspective, he has already had a better season. “It was a very good year, maybe not the best in terms of play, but in terms of results. I didn’t always have the feeling that I played brilliantly, but I just won,” explained the 28-year-old.

His private happiness also plays a part in the development. Whenever he feels weak during a game, he thinks about his two-year-old daughter. “When there’s a crisis, I try to imagine her telling me ‘Dad, you can do it, I believe in you’,” the Strausberg native explained in an interview Dartsnews.de.

This thought should already be present in his first match on Sunday, at least if opponent Callan Rydz confirms his performance from the first round game. The Englishman, to whom Schindler has never lost, played the highest average in the first round (107.06) and hit 60 percent of his doubles.

Accordingly, Schindler puts his full focus on the encounter. “Whenever I think about the later rounds, I don’t have the energy for the first rounds. I noticed that when I used to always think about the games in the round of the last eight,” explained Schindler. None other than Boris Becker serves as a role model for his mindset.

Fourth round would be a new personal record

The fact that he is not only thinking about the quarter-finals this year, but actually reaching it, is quite realistic given the game plan – and would be a new personal record after being eliminated twice in the third round. Because the draw was promising for Germany’s currently best player. Only in the round of 16 would a player from the top 10 in the world rankings, Dave Chisnall, be waiting if the Englishman lived up to his role as favorite in the previous games.

For the strong scorer, it will be crucial for such a run to get his “Achilles heel”, the inconsistency on the double fields, under control. If he succeeds, there’s a good chance he’ll stay in the tournament until the new year – and maybe even longer? “If I bring my checks, then I can be dangerous to any player. Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen – I’ve beaten them all, even on the big stage,” said Schindler. Apparently he has even greater expectations of himself than his compatriots have of him.