Doubts over Michael van Gerwen’s outing to an Irish pub: “It’s a very important year and he says that everywhere. And then you go out...”

Michael van Gerwen had a hectic week with the Premier League Darts in Dublin followed by the Euro Tour in Wieze. Between those two tournaments, the Dutchman hit the nightlife with Luke Humphries, something Vincent van der Voort views with mixed feelings. The former professional darter stresses he doesn’t want to blame his friend for anything, but he does wonder whether the timing was right.

In the podcast Darts Draait Door, Van der Voort reacted to footage showing Van Gerwen and Humphries still in a pub late on Thursday night, shortly after the Premier League night in Dublin and right before the tournament in Belgium.

Van der Voort doesn’t want to make it bigger than it is, especially since Van Gerwen’s results in recent days weren’t bad, but he’s not entirely at ease either.

“But is it wise?”, Van der Voort wonders aloud. “He’s building, it’s a very important year and he’s saying that everywhere. And then you go out…”

According to Van der Voort, relaxation is part of a top athlete’s life, but the timing of it matters.

“Personally, I don’t think it’s very smart, but it’s also not for me. I’d rather go out with my friends than with all those darters. They’re colleagues for a reason. And it’s not like Van Gerwen can never go out, right. But he reached the semi-finals and played well, so you can’t really say anything.”

In Dublin, Van Gerwen reached the Premier League semi-finals, where he was knocked out by Luke Littler. A few days later in Wieze he again fell in the last four, this time against Humphries, with whom he had gone out earlier that week.

Despite the defeats, Van der Voort sees clear progress in the three-time world champion’s game. He believes it’s mainly a matter of time before Van Gerwen is back at his highest level.

“His form is definitely coming, but it’s hard work for him. If we carry on like this he’ll be at a really good level in the summer. His absolute top form isn’t there yet, but he is working towards it. It’s the details that could make it easier. Because of that he’s wasting so much energy that it was gone in the semi-final in Wieze.”

Van der Voort especially notes that Van Gerwen is regularly throwing high averages again, but that the sharpness is just lacking at decisive moments.

The focus now shifts to the next Premier League night, where Van Gerwen faces Humphries again in Berlin. According to Van der Voort, that clash is crucial in the battle for a top-four spot.

“That’s a very important match, because with a defeat the gap could already become a bit too big,” said the Purmerender. “This one has to be very important for him and he must focus solely on this night. There are no big tournaments afterwards, so this is what it’s about.”