Gary Anderson is relishing his latest appearance at the Paddy Power World Darts Championship, a tournament that has historically been a happy hunting ground for the Scotsman.
Anderson is a two-time World Champion, scooping the Sid Waddell Trophy in 2014/15 and 2015/16, which saw him become one of just three players - alongside Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis - to win back-to-back titles at Alexandra Palace.
The Flying Scotsman has made the semi-finals or better on seven occasions, and despite this year being his 17th consecutive appearance at the tournament, Anderson’s excitement remains palpable.
“Ally Pally is something special,” remarked Anderson, who has won 52 games across his 16 appearances so far at the iconic venue.
“If you can’t get yourself up for it then you shouldn’t be playing the game. This is the icing on the cake, it’s the biggest tournament on the planet for us.
“When you drive up that hill, that’s what gets your juices flowing, that’s what it’s all about.
“It’s all about December and the World Championship. If you’re playing badly the whole year, it doesn’t matter because you’ve still got that big one.”
Despite his remarks, Anderson has produced some vintage darts in 2025. The Scot has won a European Tour title and Players Championship title this year, placing inside the top 20 of the ProTour rankings.
The world number 14 also enters the World Championship with his joint-highest seeding for three years and has adopted a fresh attitude through the year.
“I just play for fun, I have no expectations whatsoever,” admitted Anderson.
“When I play a game, if it works well, that’s great. But if it doesn’t, I get to go home. That’s how I look at it now and that’s why I don’t get panicked or stressed.
“You always get someone that says, ‘he’s past it now’, but I'm not. I don’t put as much time into it, but I'm still managing to play the top players. I just plug away.”
The 54-year-old has been pitted against Tour Card Holder Qualifier Adam Hunt in his Round One tie, a stage of the World Championship that the Scot has only lost once in his career – last year, to Sweden’s number one Jeffrey de Graaf.
With this year’s edition of the tournament expanding to 128 players and all players entering from Round One, it reflects to Anderson that the calibre of the sport is improving, and he believes the opening clash may prove harder than ever before.
“Every one of us will tell you, the first round is a killer, that’s the hardest one,” confessed Anderson, who had won his opening round tie on 16 consecutive occasions before last year’s shock defeat to De Graaf.
“That’s the hardest game, that’s when all the nerves kick in. If you get through, you kind of settle into the tournament after that.
“I think now, if you take the top 64, they can all play the game. They’re all dangerous players.
“Over the next few years, I don’t think you’ll have one player winning everything. There’s going to be so much good talent coming through.”