''I couldn't care less'' - Michael van Gerwen shrugs off questions about who is favourite to claim World Darts Championship title

PDC
Wednesday, 20 December 2023 at 09:00
michael van gerwen 5 65822eaf7c40b
Michael van Gerwen easily cleared the first hurdle toward his fourth world title on Tuesday night. Keane Barry was defeated 3-0 in sets in the second round of the World Darts Championship.
Barry proved to be the ideal opponent to start the tournament against for 'Mighty Mike'. The 21-year-old Irishman had a nice throwing pace with both players getting into a good rhythm with some attractive darts being thrown as a result.
Van Gerwen was determined to start the World Darts Championship sharp. ''The pressure here in the first round is immense. You just don't want to be sitting at home at Christmas. Look at James Wade, a player who has shown a lot of great things, and he's just out of the tournament. That really doesn't want to happen to anybody. You just have to win, even if it is with 80 average,'' Van Gerwen said during his post-match press conference.
With an average of 98 and a finishing percentage of 60 percent, Van Gerwen immediately sent out a warning to the rest of the competition. Many cite Luke Humphries as the big favourite for the world title, but Van Gerwen disagrees. ''If you ask anyone who they want to win against in the final, they still say my name. And if you ask Luke I'm sure he says my name too. But if you guys want it: he's a nice favourite, right? I couldn't care less."