Nathan Aspinall has finally addressed the drama surrounding his World Grand Prix semi-final defeat, and his response suggests he is far more focused on the positives from his week than one moment of frustration.
The Stockport star saw his hopes of reaching another major final ended by Gerwyn Price, who won 5-2 in Leicester on Saturday night. But it was an angry outburst from Aspinall during the match that quickly became one of the biggest talking points.
Now, after facing criticism online and potentially risking disciplinary action, Aspinall has spoken out — and he did not hold back when addressing those who targeted him and his family.
The Asp reflects on a frustrating night
Aspinall’s semi-final against Price was a strange one because the 35-year-old had arrived in superb form.
Just 24 hours earlier, he had produced one of the best performances of his career at the World Grand Prix, demolishing Ryan Joyce 3-0 while averaging 105.15.
That performance was particularly impressive because the World Grand Prix is played under the demanding double-start format. Aspinall looked completely comfortable, finishing clinically and producing the sort of darts that made him look like a genuine title contender.
Against Price, though, everything became much harder.
Price raced into a 3-0 lead before Aspinall finally found a response. The former World Matchplay champion won two sets in a row to give himself a chance of completing an unlikely comeback.
But Price regained control and eventually closed out a 5-2 victory.
For Aspinall, the frustration was obvious.
The moment that caused controversy
During the latter stages of the match, Aspinall missed consecutive attempts at treble 19 and reacted angrily, with an expletive clearly audible on the television broadcast.
The incident immediately caught attention because Sky Sports commentators were forced to apologise to viewers.
It also raised the possibility of disciplinary action because Darts Regulation Authority rules prohibit players from using or mouthing offensive language during match play.
At the time, there was no confirmation that Aspinall would actually be punished.
And importantly, his latest comments were not really about the possibility of a fine.
Instead, Aspinall chose to focus on what he believes was a successful tournament overall.
“So on reflection very happy with how the tournament went last week,” he wrote on Instagram.
“Had 1 of my best ever performances on a stage on Friday even though followed it with one of my worst on Saturday, but that is darts.”
That is probably the most sensible way for Aspinall to look at the situation.
One bad performance should not erase what he achieved earlier in the tournament.
Aspinall sees plenty of positives
The quarter-final victory over Joyce was not just another win.
Aspinall averaged 105.15, which was the fourth-highest average ever recorded at the World Grand Prix and the highest in a best-of-five-sets match at the tournament.
That is a serious performance.
It showed that when Aspinall gets his rhythm and confidence flowing, he remains capable of competing with anybody at the top of the PDC rankings.
His semi-final defeat was disappointing, but it does not suddenly make the previous night’s performance meaningless.
Aspinall clearly feels the same way.
“So many positives to take and very happy to make another major semi final.”
That sentence perhaps tells us more about his mindset than the angry moment ever could.
Aspinall has had a difficult period in recent years, particularly after winning the 2023 World Matchplay. He has remained a dangerous player on the big stage, but another major title has continued to elude him.
Reaching another major semi-final gives him something to build on.
Price confrontation adds another layer
The match against Price was not simply about missed doubles and fluctuating form.
There was also tension surrounding the crowd.
Price later revealed that he had spoken to Aspinall during the match because he felt his opponent was becoming too focused on the atmosphere rather than the darts.
“I thought the crowd were a little bit mutual.”
Price also explained what he told his opponent.
“Nathan was complaining about the crowd, but they were on his side. I’m 3-0 up, I go back and said to Nathan: ‘They are on your side, bud. Come on, stop performing on the board and just play darts.’”
Price admitted that he was upset with Aspinall’s behaviour, despite the pair being good friends.
That makes the exchange more interesting.
This was not a bitter rivalry between two players who dislike each other. These are two experienced professionals who know each other well, which makes Price’s comments sound more like frustration between friends than a major personal feud.
And Price’s advice ultimately proved prophetic.
He kept his composure, recovered from Aspinall’s fightback and reached the final.
Aspinall hits back at his critics
While the controversy on the stage has attracted attention, Aspinall’s strongest reaction came after the match.
The Englishman revealed that he had received abuse following his defeat, with some of the criticism apparently extending to his family and people close to him.
His response was blunt.
“And finally to all them muppets that have abused me, my family and people close to us over the last 24 hours (middle finger emoji).”
It is difficult to blame Aspinall for being angry about that.
Fans are entitled to criticise a player’s performance, especially after a disappointing defeat. But dragging family members and people close to a player into online abuse crosses a completely different line.
Aspinall’s response may not be particularly diplomatic, but it is understandable.
There is a huge difference between discussing a darts player’s behaviour and personally targeting his loved ones.
A short break before the next challenge
Perhaps the most revealing part of Aspinall’s message was what he plans to do next.
“Couples of weeks of now with the family before we go again.”
After the intensity of the World Grand Prix, that could be exactly what he needs.
Aspinall has shown enough this week to suggest that another major run is possible. The key now is turning that quarter-final brilliance into consistency across an entire tournament.
The 105.15 average against Joyce demonstrated his ceiling.
The defeat to Price demonstrated how quickly things can unravel when that level disappears.
That is the challenge facing Aspinall going forward.
There is still plenty of time for him to turn another semi-final appearance into a trophy.
The bigger picture for Aspinall
It would be easy to remember this World Grand Prix for the outburst, the crowd tension and the 5-2 defeat.
But that would be unfair to Aspinall.
He reached the semi-finals of another major tournament. He produced an outstanding performance against Joyce. He fought back from 3-0 down against Price and made the eventual finalist work for his place in the championship match.
That is hardly a disastrous week.
And Aspinall clearly understands that.
He even congratulated the eventual champion after Luke Humphries completed an incredible comeback against Price in the final.
“Well done @lukehumphries180 on winning the Grand Prix.”
That is the response of a player who has already moved on from the disappointment.
The X-rated moment will probably remain part of the tournament’s story, and Aspinall may yet have to answer to the DRA if disciplinary action follows.
But one angry reaction should not overshadow the bigger picture.
The Asp is still capable of producing elite darts on the biggest stages, and his World Grand Prix run has given him another reason to believe a major title could be coming.
For now, he is taking some time away with his family before returning to the oche.
And after everything that happened in Leicester, perhaps that is exactly what Nathan Aspinall needs.
The question now is whether this semi-final run becomes the beginning of another serious push for major silverware — or another missed opportunity in what remains a hugely competitive era of professional darts.
Either way, Aspinall has made his feelings clear: he is not letting one bad night define his tournament, and he certainly is not going to sit quietly while people attack his family.
What do you make of Aspinall’s response after the World Grand Prix drama?