"He's still not the best. I gave it away" - Michael van Gerwen sticks to his guns with wry smile despite losing to Luke Humphries in Players Championship Finals

Michael van Gerwen will begin his attempt at taking a fourth World Darts Championship title in December with an opening tie against either Keane Barry or Reynaldo Rivera. Last weekend though, 'Mighty Mike' fell at the last hurdle, losing 11-9 in a thrilling final to Luke Humphries at the Players Championship Finals.

"It's quite difficult smiling at the moment. Less sleep, lost the final and not the best moment for me but it is what it is and you have to move on," the Dutchman told Oche 180 from the PDC's World Darts Championship media day. "One thing I always say is 'don't look back'. Because there's no point."

Hitting a nine-dart leg in the final, van Gerwen looked set for victory at 9-6 up. Humphries though, had other ideas and a late charge surged the Englishman to his third TV major in a matter of weeks. "Of course, it hurts. Especially because it wasn't that I played a bad game or that he outclassed me, I let myself down. I had my opportunities, I had my chances but when you don't do it you have to move on."

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During last weekend in Minehead, van Gerwen's form was good and as such, despite missing out on the title, there are plenty of positives heading into the World Championships. "I think it was the best tournament I played since the last World's," 'Mighty Mike' analyses. "That for me is the biggest plus. I feel good, otherwise I couldn't do the nine-darters or the record averages."

One moment that came back to bite van Gerwen however, was when he denied Humphries was currently the best player on the planet, saying "he still has to beat me first." This was something Humphries himself eluded to in his post-match interview. "He said I had to beat him in a final and I did!" Humphries recalled.

So does van Gerwen regret possibly giving Humphries that extra motivation needed when 9-6 down in the final? "He's still not the best. I gave it away," the Dutchman smiles jokingly. "I regret saying that big time! Everything is going his way at the moment. Of course he's a fantastic player, but I had it in the bag and I let it slip."