Noppert links ADHD and stage noise to World Grand Prix loss
Danny Noppert says a bizarre cracking sound under the stage left him unable to focus in his World Grand Prix second-round defeat to Ryan Joyce. The Dutch star linked the distraction to his ADHD, and said the PDC later confirmed something beneath the stage had come loose.
The 2026 World Grand Prix sidestory quickly overtook the scoreline. Noppert, nicknamed “The Freeze,” fell 3-0 in sets to a clinical Joyce and never found a foothold. From the opening moments he looked unsettled, convinced something on the Leicester stage was not right.
Key Takeaways
- Noppert lost 3-0 to Ryan Joyce in the World Grand Prix second round.
- He reported a strange cracking noise from under the stage whenever Joyce walked back.
- He linked his inability to block the sound to ADHD in an Instagram post.
- The PDC later confirmed something underneath the stage had come loose.
- Noppert still blamed himself and vowed to return stronger.
What happened during the Danny Noppert World Grand Prix match?
Before a dart was thrown in anger, Noppert was already speaking with caller Kirk Bevins. The precise complaint was unclear at first. After dropping the first set, he raised the issue again.
In the second set he repeatedly gestured toward his camp, pointing to creaking underfoot as Joyce returned from the oche. The Dutchman appeared frustrated rather than simply outplayed, even as Joyce stayed ruthlessly efficient.
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Why did the stage noise hit Noppert so hard?
Clarity came after the match via Noppert’s official Instagram. “This is, unfortunately, one of the hardest parts of having ADHD,” he wrote, explaining he kept hearing Joyce walk back and forth plus a strange cracking sound from underneath the stage.
“My mind just couldn’t block it out, and I simply couldn’t focus the way I needed to,” he added. Afterward, he said the PDC confirmed something under the stage had actually come loose. “So I wasn’t imagining it — there really was something going on.”
That account matches reporting from Dartsnews.com, which detailed both the on-stage protests and the Instagram explanation.
How did Noppert react after the defeat?
Validation from the PDC did not soften the sting. “But right now, none of that takes away how disappointed I am in myself,” Noppert said. “I know what I’m capable of, and I know I should have been able to perform better. That hurts.”
He framed the exit as a painful lesson rather than an excuse. “Still, I have to take this for what it is: another lesson, another experience, and another reason to come back stronger. It’s just heartbreaking that it had to happen this way.”
For fans, the episode is a rare crossover of elite darts and a genuinely strange arena malfunction — confirmed after the fact, yet costly in the moment for a player who could not filter the noise.