Van Gerwen said that it all boils down to there being so many good players and so a bad run of form can majorly affect a player. He added that he cannot wait for Gary Anderson to return, his rival who has been out most of the year with an injury. ‘You don’t know,’ said the Dutchman. ‘Rob had a very difficult last year, a very difficult patch and he’s getting out of it. ‘But there’s so many good players, and what’s rivalry? You play each other week after week at the highest level and you need to make sure you’re winning, simple. ‘But I’m waiting for Gary to come back.’ ‘He’s only on the tour for a few years so he has a lot to learn,’ added MVG about Cross. ‘He’s already done phenomenal for the time he’s been on the tour, but everyone has to learn, even myself.’