Exclusive
Darts1 interview
with Michael Rosenauer

How do you assess the german darts players?

The achievement level is not bad. But we've only got a few really good players, who live close together to be able to practice together. Of course it's better to be able to practice with others, who play the same standard or even a higher one. You have got this in England; you visit a pub and lose against everybody, that couldn't happen myself here in Germany. That is a problem, but we've got good players.

It always depends what you do with your potential.

For some people it's just enough what they have achieved. I myself think that you can always get better. Sometimes there is a lot of progress sometimes you almost can't see it. For example in practice last year I had in my 100 practice legs an average of around 26.5, and this year I always manage between 30,5 and 31,5. It suddenly happened, I don't know how or why, would I know, I would have reached 34 by now. Probably it's all the practice that suddenly works. In between I have often a month, where I never reach this level, I have no idea why. And then again all works together. You have to work through, don't get discouraged.

Last Saturday I lost the final, well I did win both tournaments before that one. When I analyse what did happen, I see that I did play really good from the first round to the final, even the first set of the final. And then nothing worked together. To lose always pushes me.

Thank you very much. Is there anything you would like to tell our readers?

If you really want to achieve something in darts you've to be uncompromising and resolute.

Before you start you have to find out what is important for you. Will you achieve something, will you only play in the pub, or will you really get somewhere. Van Barneveld managed all right; he's better treated in the Netherlands than Franz Beckenbauer in Germany. Everybody knows him; they even will follow him to the toilet on the motorway. The Netherlands have got half the inhabitants of germany and in five years they've got such a lot of great players, they have to decide who'll be allowed to play in the national team. I don't know how that happened from one year to the other. There is something wrong in germany. I suppose it's the attitude or the mentality. Probably the dutch are already born in black trousers.