Jeffrey de Zwaan has revealed the reason he will not be appearing at the Pro Tour events in Leicester on September 24 and 25.
The 28-year-old appeared at Players Championship 20 and 21 on September 17 and 18, where he defeated Dimitri Van den Bergh and Kim Huybrechts and lost out to Cameron Menzies and Dave Chisnall.
A shoulder injury is keeping him from the Leicester events and the Dutchman has revealed the extent of his injuries.
Jeffrey de Zwaan hoping to play Players Championship 24
The World Matchplay semi-finalist is in a huge amount of pain and he’s cast doubt over whether he’ll play the next few tournaments.
Speaking on X, the Dutchman said: “Unfortunately for me, no Players Championship this week. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to play in the next one either due to my shoulder.
de Zwaan has revealed he can’t even pick up a dart. He continued: “Since Saturday, I’ve been in so much pain that I can’t even lift my arm.
“I’ve spoken with doctors and a physiotherapist and hope to have an answer later this week about what’s going on and whether I can still play next week. I’ll keep you updated on my socials.”
The Black Cobra has previously won two Players Championship events in 2018 and 2019.
de Zwaan’s injury comes at a difficult time
The Dutchman will be hoping he recovers quickly from this setback as he’s on the cusp of World Championship qualifying and this is a make-or-break time to earn a place in the end-of-year tournament.
The top 32 of the Order of Merit will qualify and they will be joined by the top 32 not yet qualified players of the Pro Tour OoM and 32 International Qualifiers.
de Zwaan currently sits at 72 in the rankings with every chance he can still make the qualifying. Missing these two tournaments and with the cutoff in just over two months, The Black Cobra will be hoping for a swift recovery.