Gerwyn Price has revealed he has been suffering from a medical issue throughout the 2025 World Darts Championship - but has been unable to find out the cause of it.
Price lost 5-3 in sets to Chris Dobey in the quarter-finals at Alexandra Palace on Wednesday afternoon.
The Welshman's scoring was strong throughout but he missed a staggering 41 darts at double.
He has endured a challenging 2024 on the oche, with the 2021 world champion entering this year's tournament ranked number 10 in the world.
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Price once famously wore ear defenders on the Ally Pally stage in an attempt to drown out the noise of the crowd, who routinely chant against him.
But while he attempted to play to the crowd at various parts during the Dobey clash to push himself on, Price was dealing with a genuine medical issue throughout.
Speaking before the match (via the Daily Record), 'The Iceman' revealed that he feels like he is in a 'swimming pool of water' due to an issue with his ears.
He explained that, while he has been dealing with the issue for the past eight years, he has been on antibiotics over the past week at the World Championship and has been unable to see a specialist.
"It feels like I have been in a swimming pool of water," he began. "It's frustrating.
"I pop my ears and it feels fine. It's a nightmare. It's been doing my head in.
"I've been taking antibiotics for a week and they are not working.
"I pop my ears and it feels fine. Two minutes later, I have to do it again. It's hard work. I have had this problem for the last six, seven, eight years, I am used to it now."
Price was forced to withdraw from the World Cup of Darts back in June due to a separate, unidentified health issue, which he said affects him in certain conditions and temperatures.
Inner ear problems can be detrimental to athletes as the organ plays a key role in maintaining balance, though it is unclear how exactly the issue - which Price says still hasn't been diagnosed - has been affecting him while playing.
"I'm supposed to see an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist," he explained. "But it's too busy, isn't it?
"I miss so many appointments with the ENT. You end up having a tournament here and there. I end up playing darts."
Following Price's defeat to Dobey on New Year's Day afternoon, Michael van Gerwen defeated Callan Rydz 5-3 in another Ally Pally thriller.
Van Gerwen has been dealing with health problems of his own over the last 12 months.
Fans will doubtless have spotted 'The Green Machine' wearing braces on the Ally Pally stage.
The Dutchman had two sets of surgeries to correct what he described as a 'severe underbite' of over a centimetre, and explained last year that he will need to wear braces for two years as part of the recovery process.
The surgery involved doctors breaking and resetting both his upper and lower jaw, with Van Gerwen revealing that he had now banned himself from eating certain foods.
Topics: Darts
Ryan Smart