Niko Springer battled to a hard-fought 6-5 victory over compatriot Jan Schmidt in a last-leg decider on Saturday evening at Zenith Munich to secure his place in the second round of the German Darts Grand Prix 2026. Despite the win, the German was typically self-critical in an exclusive interview with DartsNews (YouTube), stating, "Everyone knows I'm pretty self-critical. I didn't think I played that well—not at all. I'm just happy that I won, and I know I can do a lot more."
The 25-year-old has shown solid early form this season with two last-16 runs on the Pro Tour and a quarterfinal on the European Tour. Springer assessed his trajectory positively, saying, "I would say the results are much better than last year. The statistics aren't that good. But in the end, what counts are the results. That gives me a good feeling. I know I can do a lot more, but at the moment everything feels right and I'm heading in the right direction."
Springer's renewed stability comes after a difficult period following his surprise first-round exit at the 2026 World Darts Championship. He spoke candidly about that experience, explaining, "I don't think I need to go into too much detail. The World Championship was extremely frustrating. Things didn't go well leading into it either. It was very difficult after that." Instead of making wholesale changes to his setup, Springer focused on rediscovering his strengths, stating, "I always tried to believe in myself—my ambitions and my performances. It wasn't easy, but I kept trusting what I had shown before. Other players might change a lot of things, but for me it's not about the setup—flights, barrels, or anything like that."
This return to basics has proven crucial for Springer, who noted, "It's about me, and working on myself. I think I'm on the right path right now. It's a bit shaky at the moment, but I believe it will get better over time." The narrow win at Zenith Munich could serve as an important building block in that process, with Springer now set to face Michael van Gerwen in the second round—a major test and opportunity to further confirm his positive trend on the European Tour.
