Hearn on Van Gerwen’s loss of dominance in 2018: ‘It’s not an easy stroll for him anymore’

Van Gerwen still remains the best player in the world despite him only winning three major tournaments this year. Hearn believes though that despite that he still remains a big favourite to win a third title in January. "Whereas Phil Taylor was dominating the sport for so many years and Michael van Gerwen was looking likely to pick up the mantle, there are a few cracks out there and we're getting quite a few new faces," he told Sky Sports. "Van Gerwen has raised the bar and now the others have gone up to that level too, so there are players coming through that are quality players, but the man on the street doesn't yet know them. These players are going to have the stage and opportunity to change there lives and that's the essence of the whole of sport. "Van Gerwen may have missed a couple of doubles at crucial times, but there is nothing wrong with his game - it's just that the others are getting better. The gap is narrowing and it's not an easy stroll for him anymore. "People believe they can beat him so he has to be on his A-game, but he remains the favourite for this year's championship."