Wednesday 16 December 2015 15:14, UK
Gary Anderson has admitted he won’t understand the pressures of defending the World Darts Championship until he returns to Ally Pally.
The Flying Scotsman lifted darts' grandest prize last January and returns as the reigning champion - you can watch him defend his title live on Sky Sports between December 17-January 3.
But having collected his first World Darts Championship after beating Phil Taylor, Anderson believes he won't appreciate the magnitude of playing in front of the unique London crowd until he throws his first dart.
If you're playing well you don't hear a thing. If you're struggling you hear everything, and that's when you're in trouble.
He told Sky Sports: "To be honest I can't tell you, I won't know until I get there! I won't know how to handle it until the night comes.
"It's weird because if you're playing well you don't hear a thing. If you're struggling you hear everything, and that's when you're in trouble. It's as simple as that, there's no in-between.
"It makes you try harder and sometimes when you do that, the worse you get. This is a weird game because one day it will go well, and the next it won't."
One player who has rarely endured the off-days that Anderson describes is Michael van Gerwen. The Dutchman has established himself as darts' top player during a dominant 2015 and is the favourite to claim Ally Pally honours in January.
Van Gerwen defeated Anderson in their most recent meeting - the final of the European Championship in November - but the Scottish thrower is hoping for revenge at Ally Pally.
He said: "I played him a few weeks ago at the Europeans but I let him off the hook and he killed me. But that's good because it puts the fire back in the belly. I enjoy playing Michael - that's a game that you like to play because he throws his darts and gets on with the game.
"He's doing well, he's playing the best darts. Everyone has been saying that he's unbeatable but he's not - if people thought that, we wouldn't be turning up."
Has becoming the world champion changed Anderson's life? He claims it has only served to make him hungrier for a second title.
"We get stopped all over the place by fans - the only difference is that people have been saying 'well done' instead of 'unlucky'.
"I finally managed to get my hands on it. I did it, and I'm happy with that, but there is a bit of me that wants to win it again."
You can watch the PDC World Darts Championship live on Sky Sports between December 17-January 3.
Non-subscribers can also enjoy daily, weekly or monthly access to Sky Sports Darts and Sky Sports other six channels contract-free with NOW TV.
