“He needs to realise it’s his job” – Michael van Gerwen told to refocus after taking another holiday

Michael van Gerwen finds himself at a pivotal juncture in his career once again. The three-time World Champion endured a disappointing 2025 World Matchplay, exiting in the second round, and has now headed off for a lengthy holiday with his children. But according to close friend and fellow Dutchman Vincent van der Voort, it’s time for Van Gerwen to take a hard look at his priorities and recommit to his profession.

The world number three arrived in Blackpool following a turbulent period away from the oche. In late May, he announced his divorce from his ex-wife Daphne and was also supporting his father through cancer surgery. As a result, Van Gerwen played very few events in the lead-up to the Matchplay — just four matches at the World Series events in New York and Poland — and looked underprepared as he bowed out to Josh Rock in the second round.

It was a disappointing tournament for Dutch darts more broadly. Six players reached the second round, but only Gian van Veen made it as far as the quarter-finals. Once he was eliminated, Dutch representation was over.

“We really need another Dutchman outside of Van Gerwen — or Van Gerwen himself — to start winning titles again,” Van der Voort said on his Darts Draait Door podcast, reflecting on the waning popularity of darts in the Netherlands.

Although Van Gerwen is currently taking a break, Van der Voort was keen to point out that the holiday shouldn’t mean a total break from the sport. “Van Gerwen needs to remind himself that he's a professional dart player,” Van der Voort said. “That would be nice — that he realises this is his job. I spoke to him before he left. If you go away for three weeks and do absolutely nothing in terms of darts, you’re basically starting from scratch again when you come back.”

Van Gerwen won’t be without practice facilities during his holiday, though. “He has the opportunity — a board from Winmau is going with him, which is a real luxury,” Van der Voort added. “But don’t make the mistake of thinking training is just casually throwing. Training means playing competitive legs or matches to improve yourself. When people say they’ve trained for three hours, they usually haven’t. It’s often just lobbing darts while chatting. That’s fine for half an hour, but if you want to get better, you need to actually train.”

With a packed autumn calendar looming — including the World Grand Prix, European Championship and Grand Slam of Darts — Van Gerwen has little time to lose. All roads lead to the World Darts Championship in December, and Van der Voort believes it’s vital Van Gerwen lays the foundation now.

“If he puts the work in and comes back sharp, he’ll be ready for the rest of the season,” said Van der Voort. “But if he doesn’t, and we’re watching him with a ‘swab arm’ again, then it could be another long wait.”