Raymond van Barneveld feeling confident ahead of Grand Slam of Darts

Raymond van Barneveld has revealed that he is feeling confident after reaching the semi-finals of The Masters in Edinburgh last weekend.

The five-time world champion defeated Michael van Gerwen on the way to reaching the semi-finals, and the Dutchman has admitted that his self-belief is as high as it could be as he attempts to defend his Grand Slam of Darts title.

The 46-year-old told PDC.TV: "I played really well in Scotland and it has given me a real confidence boost.

"Confidence is very important in this game. You only have to look at last year when I won the Grand Slam. That gave me belief in myself again and I haven't done too badly since then.

"My self-belief has increased again from The Masters. Not only from beating Michael, but also Dave Chisnall, who has been playing very well, and I gave Adrian Lewis a very tough game in the semi-final."

Van Barneveld has been drawn alongside Mervyn King, Tony O'Shea and Ricky Evans in Wolverhampton.