Van Leuven is still allowed to compete in the open category, wth the Dutchwoman having been forced to reconsider the direction of her career. Opening up on the uncertainty the decision caused, Van Leuven has said she’s now using it as motivation to become a better player.
Speaking to Oche180, the 29-year-old said: “It was back in July when I knew about this new ruling coming up; they voted for it in the Europe Cup in Slovakia. I knew it was coming but I didn’t know when or how. I didn’t even know when I was allowed to play anymore in the women’s game. »
“I was like, what am I going to do with my career now? Am I just going to stick to the PDC or am I going to try other things?
“Back then I was allowed to play with the women in that period. But I wasn’t allowed to play in the open. I just didn’t know what to do. When the ruling came out, I was like, at least it was clear now.
“It does motivate me to become a better player again. It is weird to not be able to play the women anymore in the WDF. But I can within the PDC. In the end, I am playing in the Dutch tournaments now in the open ranking and I quite enjoy myself in those. »
Van Leuven has previously taken breaks from the sport to protect her mental health, but claimed she’d never be able to fully walk away because of a love for the sport. She continued: « I just enjoy the game of darts too much. I keep coming back to it. I played in the youth and then I took a few years off regarding my transition as well. Now I just can’t stay away from the game. »
The ultimate goal for Van Leuven would be to snatch a PDC Tour card, but she’s under no illusions as to how difficult that will be. She said: “The last year has been rough. I have not played many games or tournaments. I played the women’s series and that was about it. This year I want to keep improving and I see my game improving again. Hopefully I can actually aim for a Tour Card next year…
« I actually enjoyed myself on that stage playing Peter [Wright at the 2026 World Championship]. He was really kind on the stage and behind it. He was really nice to me. I think the crowd was amazing as well. I didn’t really bring my A-game, but I didn’t play much darts last year.”
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