A darts player has apologised after yelling in his opponent's face during a world championship match, blaming it on an episode of hypomania.

In a post-match interview, James Wade said he "wanted to really hurt him in his face" after beating Japanese player Seigo Asada three sets to two.

In a statement, the world number nine said he had a "hypomania episode" before taking to the oche for the second-round tie and was "fighting a battle with myself".

Image: Wade apologised and said he was upset about his behaviour. Pic: Sky Sports

Having trailed two sets to one at Alexandra Palace on Wednesday, Wade, 35, fought back to take the match to sudden death before beating Asada 3-2.

After levelling the match at one set all, Wade, who is bipolar and suffers from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), yelled in the Japanese player's face.


Image: James Wade said he suffered a hypomania episode before the tie. Pic: Sky Sports

When he threw the winning double, he again yelled aggressively several times, towards the audience and the board, with arms and fists clenched.

Asada politely shook hands with wade and the officials, bowing as he did so.

Wade tweeted his statement, which said: "I am disappointed in myself with the way I acted both on the stage and in my interviews after the match... No one is more upset than I am about what happened.

"Seigo Asada is a great player and I would like to say sorry to him, the fans and the PDC," Wade added.

Hypomania is defined as periods of over-active and excited behaviour that have a significant impact on day-to-day life.

His behaviour was widely condemned before the reasons were made clear, with Sky Sports commentator Wayne Mardle calling him "thuggish" and saying there was "no place in darts for it".

That view was echoed by fans of the sport on social media, where some accused him of being "racist" for telling Sky Sports "that's for my son, and also for the UK".

The PDC confirmed on Thursday that the Darts Regulation Authority, the independent governing body of professional darts, responsible for all player disciplinary matters, is to review the match.