Arno Merk’s emotional World Championship return after hate hiatus | Other | Sport

Arno Merk has revealed that receiving hate comments online led to him taking a five-year break from darts. The German returned in 2023 and won the PDC Europe Super League in November, qualifying for the World Darts Championship.

Playing in the opening match of this year’s tournament, Merk won 3-1 against the 2012 quarter-finalist Kim Huybrechts on his debut at Alexandra Palace. After setting up a second-round match with either Noa-Lynn van Leuven or two-time world champion Peter Wright, the 33-year-old spoke about his absence from the sport.

When asked about the gap in his career, Merk told SportsBoom: “There were some hate comments on the internet after my World Match. Then I took a year of break. I restarted, was like top four of Germany, but I wasn’t nominated for the World Cup. Then I took a break, went to live in Italy for three years. All in all, I took a break for five years.”

He explained: “I just made the decision for me. I wasn’t motivated anymore, so it was an easy decision.”

Merk barely picked up a dart during his hiatus. He recalled: “I had a board at home, in Italy, but I didn’t use it – maybe one time a month for 20 minutes, but I didn’t play leisurely.”

His return began almost by accident. He said: “My best friend was quite talented, and I saw it, and I was like, ‘let’s go to some small tournaments at the weekend,’ and I noticed that I am still good at darts. And then I was hungry to get better and better, and here I am.”

Merk also received boos from the Ally Pally crowd during his walk-on. However, they did not faze the 33-year-old. He said: “I heard it, but I didn’t know why [they were booing], so I just went ahead, and so they stopped the boos. It was fine for me.”

Nerves were not a factor either. Merk said: “To be honest, I wasn’t that nervous. I thought on this Ally Pally stage I would be, but I wasn’t as much as I expected.”