Wade apologises for ‘thuggish’ comment

JAMES Wade has apologised for controversial post-match comments that he ‘wanted to really hurt’ Japanese opponent Seigo Asada and blamed his actions on a ‘hypomania episode’.

Wade struggled to a 3-2 PDC World Darts Championship second round victory over Asada at Alexandra Palace on Wednesday night. But the main talking point was Wade’s postmatch TV interview when the world number nine told Sky Sports: “I kept giving it to him, I wanted to hurt him, I wanted to really hurt him in his face.”

Former player Wayne Mardle described Wade’s behaviour as ‘thuggish’, and the 35-year-old from Aldershot released a statement yesterday apologising for his actions.

“I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely apologise for my actions last night,” Wade said on his personal Twitter account. “Seigo Asada is a great player and I would like to say sorry to him, the fans and the PDC. Anyone that has followed my professional career will know that this was very out of character for me and I am disappointed in myself with the way I acted both on the stage and in my interviews after the match.

“I was fighting a battle with myself before I even got on the stage due to a hypomania episode which can happen to me at any time and no one is more upset than I am about what happened. I would like to again apologise.”