Michael Smith has further lifted the lid on his emotional journey back to the top level of darts.The 2023 World Champion has had a rough couple of years attempting to maintain his level, particularly for much of 2025 when he’s struggled with arthritis.Smith has had an emotional couple of weeks returning to his best formDarts Now Yet at the Grand Slam of Darts he’s made it through a very tough Group A containing Luke Humphries and Nathan Aspinall.‘Bully Boy’ broke down in tears in Wolverhampton while discussing his comeback, and has now admitted that he was just as emotional upon qualifying for the PDC Premier Event in the first place.Smith beat Polish player Krzysztof Ratajski 5-3 in the final round of qualifying on October 31, and rather than tears it was some expletives that he couldn’t contain.“Going into Wigan last weekend I didn’t care about the Pro Tours,” he said of the qualifying event.“Even though I got beat every game and I was fuming and retiring and quitting, my mindset going into it was I didn’t care, but because I got beat I was still annoyed. “It was all about that last day at the Grand Slam and I got through it. I got told off when I hit the winning double against Ratajski.“I gave it the big’un, said a few swear words, they came over and told me off, said, ‘You’re not allowed to give it the big’un when you’re playing here with them!’ “I told them another swear word and said, ‘I’ve not been on TV for eight months!’ “Everyone saw that day what it means to me and being away from the sport.”Michael Smith’s strugglesSmith won the Grand Slam in 2022, one of his two Premier Event titles, but fell right down the rankings more recently.Smith’s had a particularly rough 2025 after his highs in 2022 and 2023GettyIn January 2025 he recorded back-to-back earlier exits at the World Championship and Masters with the 35-year-old later revealing the extent of his injuries.The 35-year-old explained he’d had a grade two acromioclavicular shoulder injury, a hole in his groin and a further ankle ailment.Worse than all of that for his profession was arthritis in both wrists which he said he’d been dealing with since breaking them aged 19.Smith is now in the last 16 of the Grand Slam, having beaten Alex Spellman after saying he felt he was lucky to take down Aspinall.Yet it was after that win over ‘Asp’ that his emotions got the better of him.Speaking to Dutch broadcasters ViaPlay, he began crying as he said: “I just want to be competing. I’m sick of sitting at home watching people win tournaments.Smith has had an emotional couple of weeks returning to his best formViaplay“I’m sat at home. It p***** me off. S*** happens, I guess.“Winning matches, that’s who I’m about, that’s Michael Smith, not sitting at home. Being on big stages listening to the crowds, that’s me.”Asked if he considered retiring, he replied: “Not once. I think I made the semis of the UK Open with a hole in my leg.“I broke both my hands when I was 19, had casts for five months and then when I got them took off, within two weeks I won my first ProTour at 19. I’m a fighter, that’s it. I’ll be back, don’t worry.”In another interview, Smith also said the pressure over his form and injuries is nothing new to him.“I think in 2018 when I made my first major final I lost that one and lost the next and next,” he explained.“There was always pressure on about when I was going to win, if I was a bottle job. So I think I’ve dealt with it well.”Next up for Smith is Chris Dobey in the last 16 on Wednesday November 12.