Gary Anderson Fires Back At Reporter When Asked If He Got Saudi Masters Invite
Gary Anderson delivered a perfectly blunt nine-word response when pressed about whether he’d been invited to compete in the Saudi Arabia Masters, making crystal clear that his long-standing aversion to extensive travel hasn’t budged an inch.
The Nine-Word Shutdown
Following his 4-3 second-round defeat to James Wade at the World Masters in Milton Keynes, The Flying Scotsman was quizzed by a reporter about his notable absence from the Saudi Arabia Masters, which took place in Riyadh last month as part of the 2026 World Series season.
Anderson’s reply was characteristically direct. After admitting he no longer watches darts on television outside of tournaments he’s competing in, he turned the question back on the journalist with surgical precision.
“Is it more than an hour in a plane [to Saudi]? There’s your answer then.”
No elaboration. No diplomatic softening. Just a simple question that functioned as both answer and dismissal, encapsulating Anderson’s entire philosophy on tournament travel in a single sentence.
The Unsurprising Absence
For anyone familiar with Anderson’s well-documented stance on long-haul flights, his absence from both the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia legs of the World Series came as no surprise whatsoever. The 55-year-old Scot has been increasingly vocal about limiting his travel commitments, particularly those requiring flights exceeding a few hours.
Despite sitting at world number six in the PDC Order of Merit—a ranking that would typically guarantee automatic invitations to major World Series events—Anderson has made it abundantly clear that personal comfort and quality of life trump financial incentives and competitive opportunities.
The Saudi Arabia Masters, held in Riyadh in January, represented exactly the type of event Anderson has systematically eliminated from his schedule. The flight time from the UK to Riyadh runs approximately six to seven hours—well beyond Anderson’s self-imposed limit.
A Consistent Pattern
Anderson’s travel philosophy has become one of the defining narratives of his later career. The two-time World Champion has repeatedly emphasized that his remaining years in professional darts will be conducted on his terms, not dictated by the PDC’s increasingly global tournament calendar.
Earlier this month, Anderson revealed he felt “sick” after not receiving a Premier League invitation for 2026—but not for the reason most people might expect. “Which I was sick about because I wanted to say no,” Anderson explained with characteristic dark humor. “I think they knew the way I had gone on. They kept asking, asking and asking, but I’m happy with what I’m doing now.”
The Flying Scotsman has made it emphatically clear that even another World Championship title wouldn’t tempt him back to the Premier League—the 17-week roadshow that crisscrosses the UK, Ireland, and Europe every Thursday night from February through May.
“The Premier League—I’ve done it. Got the T-shirt. It’s fantastic, hard-grafting,” Anderson stated matter-of-factly. “But to do that, and with me up to world number six now, I want to keep pushing for the next five years. I still want to do the ProTours and the Europeans. If you’re in the Premier League, you need to be there on the Wednesday and play on the Thursday.”
Strategic Career Management
What might appear to outsiders as stubbornness or lack of ambition actually represents sophisticated career management from a player approaching his mid-fifties. Anderson has calculated precisely what tournaments he can realistically compete in while maintaining both his world ranking and his sanity.
His selective schedule focuses primarily on:
- UK-based majors and ranking events
- European Tour events within reasonable traveling distance
- ProTour tournaments offering crucial ranking points
- The World Championship and select other major televised events
Conspicuously absent from his calendar are:
- Long-haul World Series events (Middle East, Asia, Oceania, North America)
- The 17-week Premier League commitment
- Any tournament requiring more than a few hours of flight time
Anderson’s return to European Tour competition in 2024 after an eight-year absence demonstrated he’s willing to travel when the distance is manageable. He’s won two European Tour titles since his comeback, proving he can still compete at the highest level when motivated.
But even his European schedule depends entirely on geography. Anderson assesses each tournament individually based on travel time, not prestige or prize money. A European Tour event in Germany? Possibly. One in Gibraltar? Maybe. Anything requiring significant flight hours? Absolutely not.
Recent World Championship Run
Anderson’s travel stance becomes even more interesting when considering his recent form. At the 2026 World Championship, the Scot reached the semi-finals—his eighth career semi-final appearance at Alexandra Palace—with a sensational run that included a stunning 4-1 victory over Michael van Gerwen in the fourth round.
His semi-final against eventual finalist Gian van Veen became an instant classic despite Anderson’s 6-3 defeat. Both players averaged over 102 in what commentators labeled one of the tournament’s all-time great matches. Anderson’s performance demonstrated he remains capable of troubling the very best players in the world when fresh and properly prepared.
That semi-final run moved Anderson to world number six, his highest ranking in several years and validation of his selective scheduling strategy. By avoiding exhausting travel commitments and focusing on tournaments where he can compete without jet lag or fatigue, Anderson has extended his competitive career while maintaining quality of life.
The Influencer Rant Context
Anderson made additional headlines during the World Masters for reasons having nothing to do with his on-stage performance. After defeating Niels Zonneveld in the first round, the Flying Scotsman launched into an X-rated rant about YouTube darts influencers that immediately went viral.
“I don’t do YouTube, but I’m watching—what do you call them? Influencers. ‘How to play darts,'” Anderson began, before offering his unvarnished assessment of their credentials. “I’ve never seen the bloke in my life. I’ve watched him play darts, and he’s absolutely shit. So why watch him?”
The outburst revealed Anderson’s general frustration with modern darts culture—the social media influencers, the global jet-setting schedule, the commercialization that prioritizes content creation over pure competitive merit. His travel stance fits perfectly within this broader skepticism about where the sport is headed.
What Anderson Is Missing
The Saudi Arabia Masters offered significant prize money and ranking points, plus the chance to compete against the sport’s elite in a high-profile showcase event designed to grow darts in new markets. Luke Littler won the inaugural tournament, collecting both the trophy and valuable experience competing in unfamiliar conditions.
For younger players like Littler, Humphries, and van Veen, these World Series events represent crucial opportunities to build global profiles, earn substantial appearance fees, and accumulate ranking points. The travel demands—while exhausting—are considered worthwhile investments in long-term career success.
But Anderson has already built his legacy. With two World Championships, two Premier League titles, a World Matchplay crown, a UK Open victory, and 53 career titles across all formats, he has nothing left to prove. The question facing Anderson isn’t whether he can still compete—his recent World Championship run answered that definitively—but rather whether the juice is worth the squeeze for whatever years remain in his career.
The Next Five Years
Anderson has made clear his intention to continue competing for approximately five more years, with his focus squarely on maintaining his top-ten world ranking through selective tournament play.
“With me up to world number six now, I want to keep pushing for the next five years,” Anderson explained when discussing why he turned down potential Premier League involvement. “I still want to do the ProTours and the Europeans.”
This calculated approach prioritizes sustainable competition over maximum earning potential. Anderson understands that burning out through excessive travel would likely end his career prematurely, whereas strategic scheduling could keep him competitive well into his sixties.
His template appears to be competing in:
- All UK-based major televised events (Worlds, UK Open, etc.)
- Select European Tour events within a few hours’ travel
- Enough ProTour tournaments to maintain ranking
- Zero long-haul flights under any circumstances
Player and Fan Reactions
Fellow professionals have expressed both understanding and disappointment with Anderson’s travel stance. Gian van Veen revealed he tried convincing Anderson to play in the Premier League before their World Championship semi-final.
“Even before the semi-final tonight, I asked Gary, ‘You got to be in the Premier League?'” van Veen told SportsBoom. “He said, ‘No, I can’t do it, too much travel, blah, blah, blah.’ I said, ‘Just join us. Come play in the Premier League because that’s what we all want to see.'”
Van Veen admitted the feeling is shared across the sport. “We all say this to him. What Gary’s capable of, so that’s what we want. But if Gary says, ‘I’m not doing it’, then that’s his decision.”
Luke Littler also weighed in, expressing skepticism that Anderson would ever change his mind. “Like Gary has said, if he’s in the Premier League then he’s had a kick up the backside. I don’t think he will. It’s Gary who’s throwing the darts. He’s got his wife and kids supporting him. It’s whatever Gary does, and I don’t think he could change that.”
Fans remain divided. Some respect Anderson’s right to manage his own career and appreciate his honesty about priorities. Others lament missing opportunities to watch one of the sport’s all-time greats compete on the biggest stages.
The Broader Question
Anderson’s stance raises interesting questions about the PDC’s increasingly global ambitions. The organization has aggressively expanded into new markets—Middle East, Asia, Australia, North America—creating lucrative opportunities but also demanding grueling travel schedules from competitors.
For younger players in their twenties and thirties, this globalization represents exciting possibilities. For established champions in their forties and fifties, it can feel like an exhausting obligation disconnected from their original reasons for competing.
Anderson represents an older generation of players who came up through pub leagues and working men’s clubs, for whom darts was a weekend pursuit alongside regular employment. Even as professionals, many of that generation maintained day jobs well into their competitive primes. The idea of flying to Saudi Arabia for a mid-week tournament would have seemed absurd.
Now, with darts exploding into mainstream consciousness thanks largely to Littler’s teenage stardom and Sky Sports’ saturation coverage, the sport operates on a genuinely global scale. The PDC views World Series events as essential to building darts in emerging markets. Players view them as both opportunity and burden.
Anderson’s Legacy
Regardless of how many more tournaments Gary Anderson competes in or skips, his place in darts history is secure. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players ever to pick up a set of arrows, known for his smooth throwing style, heavy scoring, and ability to produce fireworks when the pressure intensifies.
His two back-to-back World Championships in 2015 and 2016—becoming only the fourth player to successfully defend the title after Taylor, Lewis, and before Littler—represent the crowning achievements of a remarkable career. His rivalry with Phil Taylor during the Power’s final years produced some of the sport’s greatest matches.
But perhaps Anderson’s most lasting contribution will be demonstrating that professional athletes can set boundaries and prioritize well-being without apology. In an era where “grind culture” and maximum commitment are often celebrated uncritically, Anderson’s willingness to say “no” represents a different kind of strength.
The Bottom Line
When that reporter asked Gary Anderson about the Saudi Arabia Masters invitation following his World Masters defeat, they already knew what the answer would be. Everyone in professional darts knows Anderson’s stance on long-haul travel. The question was likely asked simply to get Anderson on record, perhaps hoping for a quotable response.
They got exactly that: nine words that perfectly encapsulated Anderson’s philosophy, delivered with the deadpan humor that has become his trademark.
“Is it more than an hour in a plane? There’s your answer then.”
No ambiguity. No possibility of misinterpretation. No chance of a last-minute change of heart. Just Gary Anderson being Gary Anderson—one of the greatest players in darts history, competing on his own terms, for however many years remain.
The Saudi Arabia Masters managed just fine without him. And Gary Anderson, settling into his Somerset home after a manageable trip to Milton Keynes, managed just fine without Saudi Arabia.
Sometimes, the best answer to an invitation is the simplest one: “No, thank you.”
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