''I went from world No.3 to 27. It wasn’t because my darting ability disappeared, it was because my health disappeared''
JAMES WADE admits he’s had to battle back from illness to keep winning on the oche.
The Aldershot hotshot claimed the Players Championship 19 title after defeating Scott Williams 8-3 in the final at Leicester.
It was Wade's first ranking title since 2022 and the 19th Players Championship Event in his stellar career.
‘The Machine’ took out a brilliant 110 checkout to take a 4-2 lead against ‘Shaggy’.
The World No.10 followed this up with a cracking 120 finish to gain a 5-2 advantage over Williams at the Mattioli Arena.
Wade, a 10-times major winner, pearled in a 10-darter to go 6-3 up.
Wade sealed the deal with another cracking 110 outshout as he averaged 101.52 and pinged in eight out of nine doubles for the victory.
Former World Matchplay champ Wade opened up about struggles with his health and how it impacted his career and rankings before making a terrific comeback to the winner’s circle.
He said: “It’s been a bloody long time that is for sure!
“I’m really pleased and happy. I felt I have just been lucky the last two games.
“Everyone forgets I had pancreatitis. It’s a serious health condition and I went from world number three to plummeting down and out of the rankings.
“I just think everyone takes it for granted their health.
“The public and probably the organisation didn’t realise I was really ill.
“I went from world No.3 to 27. It wasn’t because my darting ability disappeared, it was because my health disappeared.
“So give me a little bit of a break!
“Today I felt really proud of myself because I’ve never been a press favourite or an organisation favourite.
“But you know when I’ve gone against what I’ve gone against, not knowing if I'm going to play darts again, today is a milestone.
“I’ve put myself under quite a bit of pressure over the last 12 months so today it has been really nice.”
The 42-year-old smashed in two ton plus checkouts to overcome Gian van Veen 6-4 in the quarter-final
Wade hit seven out of 13 doubles to record a routine 7-3 triumph against Andrew Gilding in the last four.