Michael Smith’s career peaked with his World Championship win in 2023, but Bully Boy has revealed a regret from the aftermath of the tournament.
Michael Smith defeated Gabriel Clemens, Joe Cullen, Martin Schindler and even threw a nine-darter as he toppled Michael van Gerwen in the final to claim his maiden World Championship title.
The 33-year-old earned the right to call himself the World Champion by throwing superb darts, but he recently revealed a mistake after the tournament that affected his career.
Michael Smith regrets inactivity after World Championship win
After becoming World Champion, Smith believes his decision to take time off was the reason his form dipped.
Smith revealed to DartStream Live: “It’s my own fault. You see Humphries now after the Worlds and he’s straight on it, he’s winning every event.
“After I beat Van Gerwen in the final it was like ‘this is my time now, I’ve suffered so many defeats.’ I basically took a year out and I was only coming back for TV events and Europeans.
“From Feb to June I didn’t play Pro Tour and that was my own downfall.”
Smith only won three tournaments in 2023 after claiming the top prize in the sport, with him capturing the Bahrain Darts Masters, the German Darts Grand Prix, and a Players Championship event.
Smith’s inconsistent form
The Bully Boy went 11 months without a PDC ranking title, before his win at a Players Championship event in May.
That winning event was the only final he’s appeared in all year as a solo competitor, but he did win the World Cup of Darts alongside Luke Humphries in June.
Most recently, Smith was knocked out of the Australian Darts Masters in the quarterfinals by eventual finalist Luke Littler.
Smith is still one of the most talented players in the PDC, but he needs to find a way to win on the big stage again, as he’s defending a lot of ranking money in the second-half of 2024.
It’s been said that Smith is no longer feared by other PDC players, and he’ll need to improve if he’s to get that fear factor back.