Jelle Klaasen has admitted that a full-time return to the top level is not a realistic option for now, as the former BDO world champion continues to battle dystonia. The 41-year-old Dutchman, who won the BDO World Championship in 2006 and reached the PDC World Championship semi-finals eleven years later, says his body may never allow him to consistently reach his old level again. Despite the uncertainty, Klaasen is not quitting, and with new management behind him, he wants to discover over the coming months how much perspective remains.
Klaasen has joined Mach Darts, the management team that also works with his good friend Gian van Veen, with the partnership taking effect immediately. Crucially, Klaasen stressed that his new team is not focused solely on a PDC return. "They're really good people and we already had long-standing, warm contact. My previous management didn't pressure me on results, but they were only focused on the PDC. That's not where my solution and future lie. Mach Darts also want to support and guide me a step lower, like the WDF and Modus Super Series. That fits much better right now," he said.
The major swings between good and bad days are the hardest part of his condition. "I have very good days when I still average in the 90s or even above, but a day later it can be absolutely nothing and I'm averaging 70. That's the hardest thing to accept: my head knows I can do much better, but it just doesn't come out," Klaasen explained. He has tried virtually every possible treatment in the Netherlands, including hypnosis and botox, but without the desired result. "Unfortunately, it's not dartitis or a broken bone you can recover from. It could be that I get over this. That's why I'm still playing now, hoping it clicks again and goes well. I just don't know if I'll ever get rid of it."
Klaasen explicitly sees the coming months as a period to discover whether progress is still possible. "In the coming months we're going to try and see if there's improvement. It could just as well be that we stop afterwards. That's how I am: I want to see progress and if that's the case, I'd like to continue next year to try to improve my level. But if I feel I'm without a chance at the tournaments I go to, then it's pointless to carry on," he said. He added that he does not feel pressure from his new management, but puts pressure on himself because he wants it so much. "I only played my first tournament in months recently in Sweden. In my head it was basically already over. But now I want to try everything."
A full PDC comeback is not at the top of his list right now. Klaasen does plan to play Q-School in January, with his main goal being access to the Challenge Tour. Even if he were to win a Tour Card unexpectedly, he doubts he would accept it. "I'm putting a line through the PDC for now. I do want to play Q-School in January to see if I can reach the Challenge Tour. But if things go crazy and I win a Tour Card, I don't think I can accept it. I don't dare take that risk with how things are going for me now. It would have to turn 180 degrees in the coming months," he stated. His focus shifts to circuits with different demands, such as the WDF and MODUS Super Series, where he can keep competing without the absolute elite as the immediate benchmark. "They're personally involved and support players like me at lower-tier events such as the WDF and Modus Super Series. I'm really happy with that. They also help in other ways, for example with the mental side or other matters," Klaasen concluded.
