Danny Noppert reached his fourth European Tour final at the German Darts Grand Prix in Munich, but fell short with an 8-5 defeat to Nathan Aspinall. The Dutchman, known as "The Freeze," battled through the tournament with victories over Ritchie Edhouse (6-5), Karel Sedlacek (6-2), Jonny Clayton (6-1), and Krzysztof Ratajski (7-2). Despite the strong run, Noppert reflected to Viaplay that it wasn't his best performance, stating, "I didn't play my best tournament, to be honest—looking at my averages. Maybe the timing of my performances was good, but overall it wasn't my best level. Still, to reach the final—that's the summary, I think." He highlighted his doubles as a key strength, particularly against Ratajski, and capitalized on Clayton's missed chances.
In the final, however, Noppert attributed his loss partly to misfortune, citing multiple bounce-outs. He said, "I just had a bit of bad luck at certain moments—darts falling out of the board. I had quite a few bounce-outs in that match. I don't really know why, because I have fantastic points on my darts." Remarkably, he noted no such issues in earlier matches, adding, "In the other matches I didn't have any issues. So yes, just bad luck in that moment." The contest was tight until Aspinall pulled away from 5-5.
Noppert remains uncertain about the cause of the bounce-outs, speculating, "Maybe the board wasn't quite right at that moment—I don't know. What does it come down to? Maybe I threw a bit too soft, but honestly, I've never really figured it out." He acknowledged past troubles with bounce-outs but said new dart points have helped, and he expressed satisfaction with the Winmau boards used in the tournament. Beyond equipment, Noppert emphasized better preparation for long tournament days in Munich, opting to rest and reset between sessions, which he felt made a significant difference compared to earlier in the season.
