From untouchable to chasing: Michael van Gerwen faces crucial test as jeopardy begins at Grand Slam of Darts

Michael van Gerwen is traditionally one of the leading contenders at the Grand Slam of Darts. The Dutchman has won the tournament three times, claiming the title in 2015, 2016 and 2017. Since then, however, he has not managed to lift the trophy again. The competition has also grown stronger in recent years, with Luke Littler and Luke Humphries among the new dominant names in the PDC.

Van Gerwen still has the experience and scoring power to go deep on a major stage. The main question is whether he is performing consistently enough right now to challenge for the title.

Van Gerwen enters the tournament as the number ten seed. He has been drawn in Group L alongside Jeffrey de Graaf and Henry Coates. On paper, it is a group the Dutchman should be able to progress from.

Even so, Van Gerwen should not underestimate his opponents. Both De Graaf and Coates—the latter notably without a PDC Tour Card—have already won a Players Championship title this year and are in excellent form.

Getting through the group is the first objective. The real challenge begins once the group stage is over. With players such as Littler, Humphries, Gian van Veen, Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton in the field, the road to the final will be particularly tough.

Van Gerwen has more at stake than another major title. The Dutchman is currently 11th in the PDC Order of Merit, but risks slipping further after the World Darts Championship. In the provisional world rankings, which already factor in the prize money from the upcoming World Championship, he is as low as 21st.

The Grand Slam of Darts gives him an excellent chance to turn things around. Van Gerwen was eliminated in the group stage in 2024, so he has little prize money to defend this year. The winner will receive a hefty £200,000, while the total prize fund has been increased to £1 million for the first time.

One important feature of the Grand Slam’s new format is that 48 players will compete this year, split into sixteen groups of three. Group matches are played over nine legs, but only the group winner advances to the knockout stage. That makes every match especially important.

For Van Gerwen, winning his group against Jeffrey de Graaf and Henry Coates is the first essential step. After that, he will need to raise his level considerably to have a chance of claiming another title.

The field is exceptionally strong. Luke Littler is the defending champion and has won the last two editions. Luke Humphries, Gerwyn Price and Gian van Veen are also among the leading favourites.

For years, Michael van Gerwen was the PDC’s benchmark. Anyone hoping to win a major usually had to get past the Dutchman. With three world titles, seven Premier League titles and numerous other major honours, the Vlijmen native became one of the most successful darts players of all time. In 2026, however, his role has changed considerably. Whereas Van Gerwen once began almost every tournament as one of the leading favourites, he now has to settle mainly for a supporting role. This Saturday, the Grand Slam of Darts gives him another chance to show that he still belongs among the world’s elite.

Michael van Gerwen’s failure to perform at his usual level this year has several causes. Last year, he went through an especially difficult time in his personal life. His relationship with his wife, Daphne, ended after many years, and the divorce that followed naturally had a major impact on the three-time world champion. Van Gerwen also took a break from darts, putting pressure on both his preparation and match rhythm.

Still, it would be too easy to blame his poorer performances solely on his personal circumstances. His training and motivation have also come under scrutiny several times in recent months. Vincent van der Voort, one of his closest friends and a former professional darts player, has been particularly outspoken on the subject. Van der Voort felt that, for a while, his friend lacked the commitment needed to hold his place at the top.

Van der Voort knows Van Gerwen extremely well and follows his progress closely. He was among the first to openly question the Dutchman’s approach to the sport. In his view, Van Gerwen needed to realise that a place among the world’s elite could not be taken for granted, and that it required plenty of hours on the practice board.

In recent months, however, there seems to have been a change. Van Gerwen is reportedly putting more time into his preparation and training harder to rediscover his old form. Van der Voort has already seen positive signs on several occasions, though he has also warned that a return to the top will not happen overnight.

That was clear at the Czech Darts Open in September, for example. Van Gerwen reached the semi-finals and showed against players including Wessel Nijman and Jonny Clayton that he can still produce outstanding darts. Luke Littler proved too strong in the semi-final, winning 7-3, but the tournament gave the Dutchman a welcome boost in confidence.

Van der Voort has continued to stress that consistency is what matters most. One good weekend is not enough to close the gap on his rivals. Van Gerwen will need to keep training and turn that work into results on the stage.

The recovery has been a stop-start process, as the following months showed. Van Gerwen suffered several disappointing early exits at major tournaments. He went out in the first round of the World Grand Prix against Ryan Joyce and was also sent home early at the European Darts Championship after losing to fellow Dutchman Kevin Doets.

He also struggled to reach his best level at other televised events. The contrast with his glory days is stark. Opponents once approached matches against Van Gerwen with apprehension, but much of that psychological edge now seems to have disappeared.

Van der Voort was concerned about that too. He felt his friend had lost the hunger and aggression with which Van Gerwen had dominated opponents for years. The former professional believes that winning mentality must return in full. Van Gerwen still wants to win, but, according to Van der Voort, that desire needs to come more strongly from within.

There have been some encouraging signs again in recent weeks, though. Van Gerwen reached the semi-finals and quarter-finals respectively at the season’s final two Players Championship events. At Players Championship 33, he lost to fellow Dutchman Niels Zonneveld in the semi-finals despite averaging more than 101. The following day, he again produced a strong performance at Players Championship 34. Averaging almost 99, he lost 6-3 to Luke Humphries in the quarter-finals.

Those results offer grounds for optimism, particularly because Van Gerwen again showed he can average well over 100. For now, the main problem is that he does not reach that level often enough.

One key question, of course, is whether Van Gerwen, now 37, still has the same motivation he showed in his prime. The Dutchman has won just about everything there is to win in his career. He is a three-time world champion, has claimed countless major titles and dominated the Premier League for years. After so much success, the hunger to keep winning titles must naturally feel different from the way it did at the start of his career.

The competition has also become particularly strong in recent years. Luke Littler and Luke Humphries have taken much of the power within the PDC, while Gian van Veen, Gerwyn Price, Jonny Clayton and other top players also regularly win major tournaments. The days when Van Gerwen began a major as an almost automatic favourite appear to be over, at least for now.

Still, it would be unwise to write him off completely. His scoring power, experience and ability to perform on the biggest stages remain major assets. Van Gerwen has also shown time and again that he can bounce back after a difficult spell. To do so, though, he will need to be willing to put everything else aside for his sport.

In that respect, the Grand Slam of Darts offers an intriguing next challenge. Van Gerwen has won the tournament three times, lifting the title in consecutive years in 2015, 2016 and 2017. His last triumph in Wolverhampton came nine years ago. Since then, he has come close to another title several times, but has not managed to reclaim the Eric Bristow Trophy.

For Van Gerwen, the Grand Slam is an ideal opportunity to build on his strong displays at recent Players Championship events. Reaching another semi-final or final would provide a significant boost and could further strengthen his confidence.

‘Mighty Mike’ undoubtedly still has the ability to win major tournaments. The main question is whether he can once again bring his training, motivation and match level into consistent alignment. His recent results offer cautious grounds for optimism, but he will need to prove himself on the big stage. Wolverhampton could be the first step in Van Gerwen’s return to the top.

If Michael van Gerwen is to challenge for the Grand Slam of Darts title, he will inevitably have to beat some of the best players in the world. He may enter those head-to-head contests with a slight psychological disadvantage, however. His record against the current world top 10 this year has been far from impressive.

In 2026, Van Gerwen has a winning record against just one of those ten players: fellow Dutchman Gian van Veen. Against the other leading players, the three-time world champion has found it harder to win matches than to avoid defeat.

His record against Littler stands out in particular. Van Gerwen has won just one of their eight meetings this year and lost the other seven. It is a striking gap, though he is certainly not alone. The young Englishman has established himself as the benchmark in darts in recent months and continues to rack up victories.

At the Grand Slam of Darts, though, Van Gerwen will have to show that he can still make the difference against the very best. His experience and record are in his favour, but he will need to turn around some of his negative statistics if he is to win another major title.

Although the Grand Slam of Darts is an important fixture in its own right, for Michael van Gerwen the tournament is mainly part of a larger plan: the World Darts Championship, which begins next month. That will undoubtedly be the Dutchman’s main target as he looks to challenge for the world title in London once again.

Van Gerwen also has plenty to defend there. Two years ago, he reached the final at Alexandra Palace, where he narrowly missed out on a fourth world title. An early exit at the upcoming World Championship would therefore be a major setback, both in sporting and financial terms.

A strong performance at the Grand Slam of Darts could provide a useful cushion. A good result could also give him the confidence he needs ahead of the year’s biggest tournament. For Van Gerwen, the Grand Slam is therefore more than just a chance to win another major title: it is also an important test of where he stands against the very best.

Michael van Gerwen should never be written off entirely, given his experience, ability and impressive record. That is especially true at a tournament such as the Grand Slam of Darts, where he has enjoyed considerable success in the past. The Dutchman knows better than most what it takes to perform at the highest level and has repeatedly shown throughout his career that he can rise to the occasion.

Still, we must remain realistic when assessing his current form. Van Gerwen’s performances in 2026 give little reason to name him among the clear favourites for the title. The Dutchman has struggled to make the difference in the big moments this season, and his record against the very best is far from encouraging. His results against Luke Littler, in particular, show that there is currently a gap between Van Gerwen and the world’s top player.

A quarter-final place would already represent a solid result for ‘MVG’. It would put him on course for a successful Grand Slam of Darts campaign and give him some much-needed confidence ahead of the World Championship.

However, anyone who has already written Van Gerwen off may be doing so too soon. His experience in major tournaments and ability to turn the momentum of a match remain valuable assets. He has also shown on several occasions that he feels particularly at home on the Grand Slam of Darts stage.

To claim a fourth Grand Slam of Darts title, Van Gerwen will probably need to produce some of his best darts of the season. He will have to perform more consistently and prove once again that he can beat the very best. He still has the ability to do so, but the question is whether he can show it throughout an entire tournament.