DThe splendid conclusion of a big darts evening in the mighty Alexandra Palace once again left the Germans with a bitter realization. After world champion Gerwyn Price from Wales and his Belgian opponent Kim Huybrechts delivered a thrilling showdown at 4: 3, the hopeless German number one Gabriel Clemens only played an extra role in the 0: 4 against the outstanding title contender Jonny Clayton from Wales.
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It was a small symbol for the continued lack of breakthrough in the direction of absolute world class. “I really couldn’t do much in that game. Now it’s going home and then it’s fine again, “said Clemens casually at DAZN. Previously, debutant Florian Hempel had clearly failed with 1: 4 to Raymond Smith from Australia. Just one day after the very short Christmas break, the World Cup tournament in London is over for the German representatives. Instead of the next big appearance, it is now: return journey and first of all 14 days of quarantine at home.
One year after Clemens made it to the surprising round of 16, who defeated the Scottish champion Peter Wright at the time, the wait for the great success continues. “In terms of the result, of course I had no chance. It was just really damn difficult, ”said Clemens at Sport1. The 38-year-old Saarlander has established himself among the best 32 players in the world, but so far there have been no major titles. Even in the major tournaments, he often fell short of his possibilities. “So it means preparing again, backing up, qualifying next year and being there again.”
First a big victory, then the end
While Clemens was defeated by a brilliant co-favorite, Hempel missed a huge chance of his first World Cup round of 16 against Australia’s outsider Smith. It is a well-known pattern among German darts professionals: First they win over a world-class player on the big stage, followed by disappointment. So it was with Kevin Münch at the 2018 World Cup, who first defeated the former champion Adrian Lewis and then lost to the unknown Spaniard Toni Alcinas. That was the case with Clemens a year ago when the coup against Wright was followed by the defeat against Krzysztof Ratajski from Poland. And so it was with Hempel, who a week ago defeated Belgium’s star player Dimitri van den Bergh 3-1.
Hempel, who used to be a handball goalkeeper in the second division, was correspondingly self-critical. “I failed because of myself. The chances were there. I know what I can play, ”said the 31-year-old from Cologne. “What I showed today is not even remotely what I want to show.” For Hempel, the first year as a professional at the PDC World Association is still a success, he is one of the German winners of 2021.
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There are always German encouragements from time to time, but all too often important duels are lost in major tournaments. Max Hopp reached the semi-finals at the European Championships in 2018, and in 2020 Hopp and Clemens made it to the semi-finals as a duo at the Team World Cup. At the World Cup in London – the most important and best-endowed tournament of the year – there was still no German quarter-finalist and in Clemens there was only one round of 16.
The ailing Hopp, who was Germany’s number one for a long time, is now even threatened with a very bitter setback at the end of the year. If Hempel winner Smith also wins his round of 16, the 25-year-old Hesse loses his so-called tour card, which entitles him to participate in many PDC tournaments. Almost ten years after his World Cup debut as a teenager, this would be a temporary low for the self-confident Hopp.
Debutant Florian Hempel also failed on Monday.
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Image: dpa
After leaving the World Cup, Clemens once again published hateful messages against himself. He shared personal messages with him via Instagram on Tuesday night. Clemens commented on most of them with wit and irony, and in general he wrote: “Yes, folks, I take the whole thing with a sense of humor and I will definitely not let this get me down! 99.9999% of the messages are positive and I am really always happy about your support !!! “
At the beginning of December, the “German Giant” reported that hostility was becoming more and more frequent on the Internet. It was “unfortunately the truth that hate news has become a habit,” said the world number 25. in an interview with Spox: “Above all, it goes in the direction that my family and I want cancer or other diseases. Especially when it goes against the family, the fun stops for me. “
However, Clemens had also emphasized that he did not feel threatened, since the negative news was only a “small part”. Nevertheless, he thinks it is “important to convey that to the outside world”. He did the same on Monday and again fended off the insults of some incorrigible people in his usual serene manner.
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