GERWYN Price has threatened to not return to the PDC World Championships after attempting to drown out the Alexandra Palace crowd by wearing ear defenders.
The top seed was 3-1 down in his quarter-final to Gabriel Clemens when he donned the accessory in an apparent move to dampen the noise coming from off stage.
However, it did not prevent the 37-year-old from Markham from losing the fifth set and when he returned to the stage wearing less-bulky ear plugs, which he had apparently spent some time practising in, the outcome was the same as Clemens sealed a 5-1 win to become the first German to reach the last four of the competition.
“I played my game, just focussed on my game,” Price told Sky Sports after his defeat when asked about the ear defenders.
After his upset Price wrote on his Instagram story: “So frustrating you play all year round preparing for this one tournament. So gutted I wasn’t let play but good luck everyone left in.
“Not sure I will ever play in this event again.”
Three-time World Championship runner-up Wayne Mardle said Price’s actions were those of a man showing vulnerability.
“The situation with Price is that he has had his ear defenders with him prior to this game and it was something he was thinking of doing,” he told Sky Sports.
“It shows there is a bit of frailty there. I get why he did it, he wanted to put on an elaborate show.”
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