"Aren’t many examples of people who were as good as he was, who then came back": Michael van Gerwen faces bleak future if top 16 drop happens

During the Viaplay broadcast of the Winmau World Masters 2026 on Sunday evening, there was extensive discussion about Michael van Gerwen’s position. In a conversation between Koert Westerman and Vincent van der Voort, they touched not only on the physical demands of life in darts, but above all on the bigger question: where does Van Gerwen stand right now in his career – and where is it heading?

Westerman opened with a theme that has accompanied the Premier League Darts for years: the travel, the intensity, and the grind of playing week in, week out at the highest level. Van der Voort, a long-time close friend of Van Gerwen, was clear on that. “Michael isn’t one for complaining anyway,” he said firmly. “He always knows that in advance, it just comes with the territory. It’s simply work. Part of the job.”

According to Van der Voort, the real weight of the Premier League isn’t so much the travel itself, but the results. As long as things are going well, the load feels different. “It often becomes really tough when it isn’t going well,” he explained. “If after five weeks you’re still on zero points, then you almost know for sure you won’t make that semi-final. And then it’s going to feel heavier.”

Even so, he stressed that Van Gerwen still cherishes the stage feeling. “He still absolutely loves being up on stage.” With a wink, Westerman added that, despite everything, darts remains more attractive than life outside the sport. “It’s still much more fun than laying tiles,” he joked. Van der Voort could only agree: “He really does know how good he has it compared to a lot of other people.”

However, Van der Voort was critical of the phase Van Gerwen is in now. After so many years at the very top, he believes something has crept in that has dulled his edge. “Even he has taken it a bit for granted over the past years,” he said. “And he has, almost unconsciously, eased off the gas a little. You’re getting the bill for that now.”

That observation led to a strong statement. “This is going to be a very important year for Michael,” Van der Voort stated. “Whether we’ll see him back at the top, or whether he slowly slides away.”

“If he has another year like this, he’ll drop out of the world’s top 16,” he warned. “Then you get a completely different status. Which doesn’t suit him.” The mental impact of that could be enormous. “There aren’t many examples of people who were as good as he was, who then came back.”

“You also can’t go too long without titles and results,” said Van der Voort. “It really has to be turned around this year. And let’s hope it works.”