Luke Humphries has admitted all the players on tour are fed up with whistling from the crowd.
Humphries was beaten 8-7 by Michael van Gerwen in the Nordic Darts Masters final in Denmark on Saturday.
The world number two avenged his recent Premier League final loss to Luke Littler, by beating the reigning world champion 7-5 in the semi-final.
Humphries and Van Gerwen then traded breaks of throw in the final before the contest went to a decider, with the former missing a shot at the bull for victory.
The Dutchman held his nerve to claim the title in Copenhagen.
Speaking immediately after the defeat, a frustrated Humphries complained about the whistling on important doubles.
When asked on stage if he could take more positives out of this rather than the bitter feeling of the defeat, he said: “Not really to be fair, I thought it was kind of harsh at the start, you’re getting whistled and booed, and boos are fine, it’s the whistling when you’re on important doubles, it’s disappointing.
“As players it really is because I’m up here to give them guys entertainment, and when you’re still up here, I just want to play well and people are giving you whistles on important doubles.
“I’m up here to win titles, guys, you know what I mean, I just want to give everyone entertainment.
“It’s hard work in the end, so I’m just disappointed that in those early moments people were
trying to put me off because I think all the players are fed up with it now, really.”
Writing on social media after the game, he said: “Sorry for the emotion on the stage today guys.
“I want to congratulate Michael van Gerwen on a fantastic win tonight!! Fully deserved win.
“I hope everyone understands that I just want to give you all the best games and the best entertainment!
“It’s been a hard few months for me trying to find myself again, I’m close to being where I want to be and I want to thank all my fans for the continued support!
“See you next weekend at the World Cup.”
Van Gerwen verdict
Nordic Darts Masters winner Van Gerwen was asked about Humphries’ comments and revealed how he’d approach it.
He said: “Don’t give them any attention. Then they will stop. Then they don’t enjoy the moment.
“That’s the only thing I can imagine. That’s the only thing I can think of, to be honest.”
It was the second time Van Gerwen has won the Nordic Darts Masters, becoming the first player to do so since it was launched in 2021.
“I think Luke let me get away with it because he had a chance to be 4-1 up,” said Van Gerwen. “Then you try to take advantage and luckily I did.
“It is always nice to have a win behind your name again. That gives confidence and a good feeling because my performances early on in the rounds were not good.
“But more importantly it was how I bounced back to keep grafting. That makes me win today and I am really pleased with that.”
