Recent Players Championship winner, Jeffrey de Graaf has reiterated that he would harbour no reservations whatsoever regarding the prospect of competing alongside Kevin Doets under the Swedish banner, maintaining that sustained success on the international darts stage would ultimately render any discourse surrounding national provenance largely inconsequential.
Whether illustrated by Paul Nicholson as a ‘Geordie Australian’ or Paul Lim representing a veritable list of nations, the concept of nationality for darts events has always been both fluid and, at times, controversial.
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Currently occupying the position of world number 50, the 35-year-old, who originally hails from Den Helder in the Netherlands, has long since established deep personal and professional roots within Sweden. Having rebuilt both his career and domestic life in Scandinavia, De Graaf views questions concerning sporting allegiance through a pragmatic lens and understands entirely why another Dutch-born player might arrive at a similar conclusion.
Speaking on the Darts Draait Door Podcast, De Graaf explained:
“It would certainly be nice. On the other hand, I don’t know how the Swedish public would react if there were two Dutch-born players representing Sweden.
“People understand my situation now. If there were two of us, I’m not completely sure how that would go down.
“But if we’re getting results, I don’t think it would matter too much. He lives here, his child is Swedish, and he’s not going anywhere.
“At some point it becomes a case of: I live in Sweden, my life is here, everything I do is in Sweden.
“For me, the Swedish route is what got me back onto the Tour, so it was a natural decision.”
Over the course of recent years, De Graaf has become increasingly assimilated into Swedish society, embracing not merely the country’s culture but also its language and media landscape. His integration has been sufficiently profound to facilitate appearances on Swedish broadcasts and podcasts, further underscoring the profundity of his attachment to his adopted homeland.
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Discussing his linguistic progression, he remarked:
“Yeah, I can speak Swedish. I just can’t write in Swedish. I don’t sound Swedish, that’s for sure, but I can speak it fluently. I understand everyone.
“I’ve even appeared on a few Swedish podcasts, so that all goes pretty well.”
De Graaf’s commitment to Sweden has already yielded considerable achievements on the international stage. He has represented the nation at two editions of the World Cup of Darts, most notably reaching the quarter-finals in 2024 before Sweden’s campaign was curtailed by Scotland.
Arriving in Frankfurt this year buoyed by the confidence derived from his triumph at Players Championship 19, expectations surrounding the Swedes are appreciably elevated.
Partnering Oskar Lukasiak once more, De Graaf believes their established camaraderie and familiarity could prove invaluable.
He said: “We get along really well. We’re a fairly close team and we play doubles together throughout the year. We know each other well and we know what to expect from one another.
“At the same time, form is always a factor. I think we’re in a slightly better position this year than we were last year.
“Last year neither of us was really in top form. My own game is definitely in better shape now than it was a year ago, so I have more confidence going into it.”
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Such sentiments encapsulate the prevailing sense of optimism permeating the Swedish camp as another World Cup campaign approaches, with De Graaf convinced that continuity, cohesion and improved individual form could provide the foundations for a deeper foray into the tournament.
Images: PDC Europe
