It’s no secret that Dimitri van den Bergh and Kim Huybrechts are not on speaking terms.
The duo made headlines at the World Cup last year after refusing to look at each other in their opener.
The rift was caused after the 2024 UK Open Champion and his compatriot Mike de Decker filed a formal complaint against ‘The Hurricane’.
It appeared Huybrechts may be forced to withdraw from the Belgium World Cup team after requiring surgery following an attack in May, but the PDC confirmed his spot in the tournament.
‘The DreamMaker’ picked up a Pro Tour title last week and was abrupt after being questioned about Huybrechts.
Dimitri van den Bergh says he does not speak to Huybrechts
Following his victory last week, Abigail Davies questioned Van den Bergh about whether he’s spoken to Huybrechts about his injury.
The Belgian gave a blunt response that left no room for misinterpretation.
“I wasn’t interested in anything of that. Everybody needs to know that me and Kim are not best friends and that’s period.”
Despite their differences, the pair will have to work together on the oche in Frankfurt at the end of the month if they are to lift the World Cup for the first time.
Belgium have little chance of success
Nobody can question the individual quality of the Belgian pair.
Van den Bergh won the UK Open in March and has a World Matchplay on his resume, whereas Huybrechts has been an ever-present in the World Cup since 2012.
Though the feuding pair made the semi-finals last year, it’s incredibly difficult to find success in this tournament without team chemistry.
There’s also a big question mark surrounding Huybrechts’s fitness.
He won both of his opening matches at last week’s Players Championship events with good performances but succumbed in round two with an average in the 70s both times.
If the 38-year-old cannot sustain his performance levels over a long distance, it could be an early exit for Belgium.