Dirk van Duijvenbode pulled off a remarkable upset on the European Tour on Saturday evening, defeating Luke Humphries in the second round of the Hungarian Darts Trophy. The victory not only ended a painful run of defeats but also showcased a more relaxed and joyful Van Duijvenbode on stage. According to the Dutchman, this transformation is largely due to a change in his private life: his young children are now sleeping better.
The win over Humphries meant more than just reaching the next round. Van Duijvenbode had faced the Englishman often in recent years and had lost nine times in a row prior to this match. The relief was evident as he reacted enthusiastically, though he had to correct the interviewer who suggested it was his first victory over Humphries on stage. “I beat him once before on stage,” said Van Duijvenbode. “He was in the final, so please get your act together. But he beats me a lot.” The interviewer apologised, but the essence remained: Humphries had dominated their recent meetings.
Before the match, Van Duijvenbode and Humphries had discussed their head-to-head record. Humphries pointed out they had been drawn together four times in their last nine European Tour events. Van Duijvenbode joked, “Today he came in. He was like, we draw each other a lot. I was like, hey, I don't think you mind because you win all the time. But I was like, yeah, it doesn't make like, okay, obviously Luke's a phenomenal player. But I think I'm okay as well, you know.” He added, “And I know he's the better player out of the two. But the times he beats me, I don't think it's fair compared to, like, I think I should beat him sometimes. Like, obviously he's the better player, but I should beat him sometimes.”
Van Duijvenbode had joked before the match that if he won, he'd be at least at 20% against Humphries. That twenty per cent became reality, and the victory was clearly good for him. The win fits into a recent trend where Van Duijvenbode looks more relaxed, laughs more, and enjoys himself on stage. He radiated calmness against Humphries, a stark contrast to his often frustrated or tense past appearances.
According to Van Duijvenbode, this is no coincidence. A lot has changed behind the scenes. As a father of two young children, he admitted that combining fatherhood with professional sport has been difficult. “I'm happier in life, yeah,” he said. “Obviously a lot of struggles and two young kids and sleep is really very bad. If I speak to other people that have kids as well, I'm very jealous because we don't have sleep. And if you don't have sleep, you don't have focus, you don't have a good mood and things are turning better now.” He added, “The kids are sleeping better and then you immediately see that through your focus. And obviously I love my kids, but no sleep is not good for focus and for happiness.” With his children sleeping better, Van Duijvenbode is getting more rest, which is having an immediate effect on his daily life and performances. “And it's getting better and I feel better. Life's better and family's better and I'm getting better now, hopefully. And hopefully I'll turn this to being good again.”
