James Wade has been at the very top of the darts world for almost two decades, and former professional Paul Nicholson believes he knows why. While many of Wade's contemporaries have slipped down the rankings or disappeared from the scene altogether, "The Machine" remains among the world's best — and Nicholson points to family as the key motivation.
Wade made his breakthrough at the top level in 2007, winning both the World Matchplay and the World Grand Prix and reaching the world's top five for the first time. Nineteen years on, the 43-year-old remains part of the global elite, with 11 major PDC titles across three different decades and a total tally of 42 PDC titles. In 2026 he has shown he remains a force to be reckoned with, winning Players Championship 1, the Australian Darts Masters and the Flanders Darts Trophy.
Nicholson, speaking to Sporting Life, believes Wade's motivation has changed over the years. "Some sportspeople are motivated by money, some by fame, some by competitive instinct and others by the desire to provide for their families. But I think for James, it's periodic," he said. "In the past we used to joke about how much he wanted a new car, and when he did want a new car, he would succeed. He had this thirst for BMWs and Bentleys and things like that. And maybe he wasn't particularly smart with his money at the start of his career. He'd never be seen wearing darts shoes that cost less than £200!"
Fatherhood, however, changed Wade's mindset. "But I think his mentality's changed since he had kids. And I believe that's his biggest motivation at the minute. He wants to provide for his boys. He wants to provide for his family unit to make sure that they don't have to worry about money for the rest of their life, and he's doing a really good job of that. And it's probably the biggest motivation he's ever had." Nicholson believes that has also helped Wade through the tougher periods of his career, including a slide to 19th in the world rankings. "Playing for himself may have become a bit soulless especially with all the travelling and there have been some lean periods in his career when he dropped to 19 in the world. But nowadays, every time he goes home and sees his lovely house, and his wife and his kids there, he thinks, that's all the motivation I need. If he didn't have that, he wouldn't have responded the way he has and got back into the top five, which has been one of the most impressive things I've seen in years."
Nicholson also believes Wade's neurodiversity may be an advantage. Wade has spoken openly in the past about having ADHD and bipolar disorder, and Nicholson feels that in a sport like darts, where routine, repetition and sustained concentration play a major role, it can sometimes work to a player's benefit. "He's spoken in the past about ADHD and being bipolar but sometimes I feel neurodiversity can be quite a superpower in a sport like darts which requires a degree of hyperfixation when it comes to practice and constructive obsession," Nicholson said. "This is James's routine. If he didn't have darts, he probably would feel a bit strange and maybe that's another motivating factor."
