Gary Anderson opens the door to potential European Tour return in 2020
Anderson hits at a potential Euro Tour U-turn (credit:Lawrence Lustig/PDC)
Gary Anderson has suggested he may make a surprise return to European Tour action next year if he has concerns over his ranking position.
Anderson, currently ranked world number four, has appeared in only ten ranked tournaments this year after sitting out much of the first half of the season due to a back injury.
The two-time World Champion enjoyed a stellar 2018 campaign which saw him claim the UK Open and World Matchplay titles, as well as finishing runner-up in the Grand Slam.
The Flying Scotsman is due to defend a significant portion of his Order of Merit tally next season and has refused to rule out a potential return to the Euro Tour for the first time since 2016.
“It’s not happened as easy as what I thought it would, but we’re getting there,” Anderson told Live Darts.
“I thought I could just come back and throw straight away but it’s not worked out that way.
“Next year I might actually do the Europeans and not do the Players Championships because it’s one of those – I can’t do everything.
“If I was to get into the Premier League, can I do all the travelling to the Europeans? No.
“I can’t be away from the house from Wednesday to the following Monday then away again Wednesday morning, I just can’t seem to do it now. It’s a hell of a long time on the road.
“If I’m worried about my rankings, I’ll do the Europeans, if I’m not then I’ll stick to the Players Championships.
“The furthest [ProTour venue] away is Barnsley which is three hours up the road. I turn up on a Friday night, play Saturday and Sunday and I’m, home Sunday night, it’s as simple as that.
“I’m not promising anything, but I might do [some European Tour events], I’m wavering ideas whether to do the Europeans or ProTours, I’m just going to see.”
Anderson’s limited involvement on the ProTour this season has seen him rack up just £5,500 in prize money from floor tournaments, leaving him ranked 102nd on the Players Championship Order of Merit.
He is currently £5,500 adrift of the cut-off for November’s Players Championship Finals in Minehead, which sees the top 64 players from the Players Championship Order of Merit qualify, but Anderson insists qualification is not at the top of his agenda.
“It would nice to get there but if I don’t, it’s not the end of the world,” he added.
“The rest of the year is absolutely hectic and of course the big one at the end [World Championship] is the most important one.”
Anderson enjoyed a healthy rivalry with Phil Taylor on the oche for the best part of a decade before the 16-time World Champion retired from professional competition in January 2018.
Taylor recently hinted at a potential comeback following the launch of his new Target darts with accompanying Swiss Point system, and Anderson admits he would welcome ‘The Power’ back to the big stage.
He added: ” The day Phil retired, I knew he would be sick as a pig, he loves darts.
“He is darts, that’s what Phil is all about.
“He might have thought, ‘I’m getting old, travelling a lot, the schedule is hectic’ but he’ll be sitting at home watching darts on the tele going ‘I can still beat him, him and him’ and he’ll be itching to get back.
“That’s what Phil’s about, darts, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he comes back.”
“What’s Raymond [Van Barneveld] going to do? He’s played darts for decades, has he got a new hobby or something? Has he taken up fishing or golf?
“I don’t see how you can say you’re retiring then that’s you done with darts.
“Just stop playing for a while? Have time off then come back a year later?”
Anderson turns 49 in December and will soon mark his ten-year anniversary since joining the PDC from the BDO, adding: “I’m 50 next year, I never thought I’d see the day!
“The last time I looked I was 38/39 and now I’m 50 next year. It’s disappeared quickly, ten years with the PDC has flown past.”
