James Wade is known not only for his quality at the dartboard, but also for his unusual behaviour towards other players — and according to Vincent van der Voort, the Englishman regularly tries to disrupt his opponents' concentration in subtle ways.
Speaking on the podcast Darts Draait Door, the former professional darts player shared a remarkable anecdote about an encounter between Wade and Niels Zonneveld. Van der Voort heard the story from his son, who explained how Wade recently reacted when he ran into Zonneveld. "Niels Zonneveld, my son told me, ran into James Wade, and James Wade then asked him: 'What are you doing here?'" Van der Voort said during the broadcast.
With that question, Wade suggested that he was surprised to see the Dutchman at the tournament. According to Van der Voort, however, the remark was anything but innocent. "James Wade is simply a very intelligent man. It is quite difficult to get through to him because he genuinely says and does whatever he feels like."
During the podcast, it became clear that this was not the first time Wade had behaved towards Zonneveld in such a manner. "Did you qualify?" Wade reportedly asked during their recent encounter. According to Van der Voort, the Englishman already knew the answer. "He knows perfectly well."
Van der Voort then recalled an earlier meeting between the two players. Zonneveld had beaten Wade just a week earlier, after which they faced each other again. "They had to play each other again, and he congratulated Niels on still being in the tournament," Van der Voort explained. Remarkably, it was Wade who went on to win their next encounter. According to Van der Voort, that behaviour reflects the way the Englishman tries to play mind games with his opponents. "He usually plays those kinds of games."
