Vincent van der Voort doesn’t think Michael van Gerwen has had the time to get over his neck injury as the star continues to struggle for form. It’s been a harrowing season this far for ‘MVG’, compounded by having to withdraw from his Premier League Darts match in Berlin two weeks ago.
Just minutes before he was set to take on Gerwyn Price, it was announced that the three-time world champion had pulled out with a neck injury. He returned in Manchester last Thursday, losing in the semi-finals to Nathan Aspinall, but has now slipped out of the top four. Despite being on home soil for Players Championship 13 this week, there was a further blip as he was beaten in the first round by Mario Vandenbogaerde.
Compatriot Van der Voort watched his display in Rosmalen and admitted his close friend was below par. However, he argued the neck problem was clearly hampering Van Gerwen and affecting his playing style.
“It wasn’t good,” he told Sportnieuws.nl. “That injury is not completely over yet and you notice by everything that he is not throwing freely. Everything takes a lot of effort. There has to be relaxation on it, but it just doesn’t work.”
‘The Dutch Destroyer’, a former UK Open finalist, conceded the form of the 35-year-old was “worrying.” Ahead of tomorrow’s Premier League outing in Rotterdam, he also voiced fears that Van Gerwen will be unable to find the time to return to full fitness.
“That injury should be over, but Thursday he has to go to Ahoy for the Premier League Darts and at the weekend is already the Euro Tour in Munich,” he continued. “He has no time to train, rest or receive treatment.
“He’s in a tough spot and that’s hard for other people to understand. He is so under a magnifying glass and also puts enormous pressure on himself. As a result, expectations are very high. You increasingly have the idea that at times it becomes too much for him, that pressure.”
Seven-time winner Van Gerwen is the most successful player in the event’s history. He’s also appeared in every campaign since the launch in 2013, and only in the 2019 campaign has he failed to make finals night at the O2.