“He was absolutely devastated”

Michael van Gerwen continues to struggle with his form and results. The three-time world champion was knocked out after just one match at the Dutch Darts Championship in Maastricht last weekend. According to Vincent van der Voort, a close friend of Van Gerwen, the defeat to William O'Connor hit particularly hard. The former professional darts player warns that Van Gerwen cannot afford to feel sorry for himself if he wants to rediscover his old form.

Van Gerwen hoped to produce a strong result in front of his home crowd, but his tournament ended in the second round. The Dutchman lost 6-5 to Ireland's O'Connor.

Interestingly, Van der Voort was not unhappy with his friend's performance. In his view, Van Gerwen did not play badly at all, but faced an opponent who was particularly strong when it mattered most.

O'Connor trailed 5-4, then produced two consecutive 12-dart legs to claim the win. “Credit to him, that was really impressive,” Van der Voort said on the Darts Draait Door podcast.

Michael van Gerwen lost to William O'Connor at the Dutch Darts Championship

Van Gerwen was frustrated to come away empty-handed again despite putting in a decent performance. Van der Voort spoke to the three-time world champion afterwards and could tell the defeat had hit him hard. “It was so frustrating for him. He was absolutely devastated. That’s understandable, and it should be that way,” the former professional darts player said.

Van der Voort decided not to call his friend straight after the match, giving him time to come to terms with the disappointment first.

“I let him cool off for a bit, then we spoke on the phone. The one thing he must avoid now is feeling sorry for himself. He just has to take this one on the chin and keep training. Otherwise, he won’t turn things around. The problem is, he doesn’t have a chin left. It’s as if he’s been in a fight with Rico Verhoeven [kickboxing icon, ed.].”

According to Van der Voort, Van Gerwen will have to accept that setbacks are part of the journey back to the top. That is why he believes it is vital for the Dutchman to keep putting in the work on the practice board and not let further defeats discourage him.

Candid interview surprised Van der Voort too

The defeat in Maastricht came shortly after Van Gerwen spoke at length about his private life and the problems he had faced in recent months in an interview with Sportnieuws.nl.

Among other things, the darts player discussed his separation from his former wife, Daphne, and the impact of personal circumstances on his life.

Van der Voort, who has known Van Gerwen well for many years, was surprised by some of his comments. “He said some things I never expected him to say. For example, that he knew he and his ex-wife Daphne wouldn’t grow old together. I’d never heard him say that before.”

According to the former professional darts player, Van Gerwen usually reveals little of the emotion behind his confident image. “He always wears that shield, giving everyone a mouthful wherever he goes. This time, he also showed a more vulnerable side. He’s quite an emotional person, but he never lets it show.”

Van der Voort urged him to open up

Van der Voort said he had often had frank conversations with Van Gerwen in the past. At times, he said, his friend did not understand the way Van der Voort assessed him.

Van Gerwen felt that Van der Voort did not take enough account of the personal problems weighing on him.

“We’ve talked about it before because he felt I didn’t understand him and was too tough and critical. He felt he was dealing with more than he let on. I told him he should give an interview like that one day, so other people could understand him better too. That was the aim, and hopefully it came across well.”