It was a seventh-placed finish for me at the Premier League, which was a bit of a disappointment.
It was my first Premier League though, and it was weird for the first couple of weeks, but overall, I really enjoyed it.
16 weeks in the biggest arenas in the UK and Europe was an amazing experience, and I can’t wait to do it all over again for the next few years I hope.
Obviously, having to deal with kidney stones during the tournament wasn’t easy, and was totally unexpected.
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I hadn’t felt anything like that for my whole life, then all of a sudden you’re in so much pain. It affected my Premier League campaign physically, missing one week completely, and the week where I returned in Berlin, I was there, but not really ready to play. I still gave it a go though. It then put pressure on me, because I know I needed to perform, but I wasn’t at 100 percent, so it cost me a couple of weeks.
It’s part of life though, and I’m back to full health now. I have tests to come to see what caused it and how I can prevent it in the future.
I’m not fully pleased with how my season is going so far, but a final on the Euro Tour in Poland and a semi-final at the World Masters were decent runs. The Players Championship hasn’t gone to plan so far, and my energy in the later stages of events isn’t quite there yet due to the kidney stones, but I’m getting there.
I’m looking forward to the World Series events in New York and to the World Matchplay. I had a good run to the quarters last year, and hopefully I can go a few stages better this year. The Winter Gardens is such a special place to play, and I’m really looking forward to going back there.
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Column originally published in DartsWorld magazine (Issue 594) – edited for timing and context only
Gian is sponsored by Red Dragon Darts and managed by Mach Darts.
