Gian van Veen's decision to skip the customary post-match interviews following his World Grand Prix quarter-final defeat has been defended by fellow Dutchman Vincent van der Voort, who said the 24-year-old simply needed time to process a chastening evening at the oche. James Wade proved far too strong in the last-eight clash, winning 3-0 in sets and dropping only one leg throughout the entire match — a 9-1 hammering in legs that left Van Veen with nothing to say.
"He got battered 9-1, so he needed some time to process it. Nothing worked. What are you supposed to say afterwards? It is better not to do interviews in that situation," Van der Voort said on the Sportnieuws.nl Darts Draait Door podcast. "Gian is the last person you should criticise; normally, he always delivers."
The defeat came with Van Veen established as the best Dutch darts player at present — a status that brings increasingly high expectations. According to Van der Voort, the shift matters all the more because Michael van Gerwen is no longer the obvious Dutch figurehead challenging for titles at almost every major tournament. Van Veen is now third in the world rankings and has reached two semi-finals and a quarter-final at the major tournaments this year.
"Gian is simply our number one," Van der Voort said. "Not only in the world rankings, but also at the major tournaments. This year, he has reached two semi-finals and a quarter-final. The others are nowhere near that. The Dutch players often go deep in tournaments, but finals are not happening at the moment. No Dutchman has played in a major final this year. That is not a good situation."
Van der Voort contrasted the current landscape with the Van Gerwen era, when the three-time world champion's deep runs allowed his compatriots to operate more under the radar. "Everyone could perform well because Van Gerwen always went deep anyway. Now you are watching Gian, and he loses 9-1 in legs (3-0 in sets, ed.). He is already hearing that what he is doing is not enough. He would not have faced that during the Van Gerwen era. Back then, a quarter-final would have been a good result for the lad."
Van Veen's lofty ranking automatically creates higher expectations, yet the 24-year-old has not yet been able to turn that status into a run of major titles. After his heavy defeat by Wade, he did not attend the customary interviews — a call his countryman can fully understand.
