“I think he does his best. But I don't see that hunger anymore” - Vincent van der Voort critical of Michael van Gerwen after Matchplay disappointment

Michael van Gerwen was eliminated in the second round of the World Matchplay 2026 by compatriot Dirk van Duijvenbode. In a match ultimately decided 14-12, Van Gerwen did battle back to force extra legs, but according to Vincent van der Voort the performance mainly lacked conviction, intensity, and hunger.

On the Darts Draait Door podcast, Van der Voort looked back in detail on his good friend’s display. He felt Van Duijvenbode was the deserved winner over the course of the match. “He was almost always in front. Van Gerwen came back into it, which shows there's still something there, but I thought he played with very little emotion and very little intensity.”

For Van der Voort, that feeling started as early as the walk-on. You could see it from the moment he walked on. In the past, he'd come onto the stage completely pumped full of adrenaline. Aggressive. You felt like he was ready to destroy someone. He was like a wrecking ball.”

This time he didn’t see that image at all. “Now he shakes hands, has a laugh with Dirk about a dart that fell on the floor, has a little chat. Then you already know it's going to be a flat start.”

Van der Voort is more broadly annoyed by the growing cordiality he sees around matches. “It’s all starting to look like a tea party. These days they’re hugging before the match and chatting away. But you just want to see a battle, right?”

He believes that doesn’t mean players can’t get along after the match. “Now it's starting to feel like a tea party. Everyone's become a bit too friendly. These days players are hugging each other before the match and having conversations. I want to see a battle."

With Van Gerwen he missed that feeling entirely. “If you're full of adrenaline, nervous and desperate to perform, you're not standing there laughing, joking and messing around. You're there to do your job. I missed that completely."

Van Gerwen did fight his way back into the match later on, but Van der Voort didn’t feel it was because he suddenly hit a much higher level. “That wasn't because he suddenly started playing brilliantly. Dirk completely lost his way for a while.”

After that, Van Duijvenbode gathered himself sufficiently again, in his view. “It's about the overall picture. You don't see a player standing there thinking, "I'm going to win this no matter what. Dirk had that. He really wanted it. He did everything to win, and I think he deserved the victory."

Due to his exit, Van Gerwen drops to seventh in the world rankings. Van der Voort stressed how exceptional that actually is, given the long-standing status of the three-time world champion. “After that he broke into the world's top five and never left.”

At the same time, he was keen to put Van Gerwen’s career in perspective. “There's no debating his quality. He's a fantastic player.”

In fact, Van der Voort still finds it impressive what Van Gerwen manages on pure talent. “Even now, what he can still do purely on talent is admirable because everyone else is constantly trying to improve, practising and working hard. He can still compete."

According to Van der Voort, the main issue is the loss of consistency. “But he doesn't win often enough anymore. He's not consistent enough and he comes up short in close matches.”

Van der Voort has known Van Gerwen well for many years and says he is often asked why he still tries to help him. “He's a good friend. Whether he's world No. 50 or No. 150, I'd still help him."

He does acknowledge, however, that his influence is currently limited. “At the moment it's more about damage limitation than genuinely helping someone improve.”

In his view, it has now become a recurring pattern. “It's the same story every time now. It's entirely up to him. The dart is in his hands.”

Van Gerwen must, above all, decide for himself what he still wants from his career, according to Van der Voort. “He has to decide what he wants and where he goes from here. It's all down to him now, and he'll have to show how badly he still wants it.”

Van der Voort says his criticism stems mainly from his belief that Van Gerwen still has plenty to offer. “He's still very young and has a great career ahead of him.”

But he believes something has to change. “The way things are going now, though, it feels like it's slowly fading away, and that's a real shame.”

Van der Voort stressed that the level must rise structurally and that this doesn’t concern only one aspect. “Everything has to improve, but only he can make that happen. We'll see how badly he wants to get back to the top, because only he can provide those answers."

He also doesn’t expect a different draw or a more favorable position in the world rankings to solve the core issue. “He shouldn't even be thinking about quarter-finals at the moment. His level simply has to improve consistently."

Van der Voort does believe that Van Gerwen still wants to win once he starts a major tournament. Yet he sees a key difference from the past. “I do believe he wants to win. I think he does his best. But I don't see that hunger anymore, not even during the match itself."

That presence was exactly what he missed on stage. “Otherwise you don't walk onto the stage the way he does. You walk on with fire in your eyes.” Afterward, according to Van der Voort, Van Gerwen was indeed deeply disappointed. “Oh, he was absolutely gutted. He was genuinely upset and really disappointed. But it's about everything that comes before the match."

The problem, he says, lies mainly in the period before such matches. “In the past, absolutely everything revolved around getting the result. That's no longer the case.”

At the same time, Van der Voort understands that this can also be a human development after a long career. “Like Kim said, it's understandable. He sacrificed everything for darts for 20 years. Now he's enjoying life. The only thing is that if that's the choice you make, you also have to adjust your goals."

If Van Gerwen no longer wants to give everything for his career, Van der Voort believes he may also have to accept that his goals will change. “You can still make a very good living, go deep in tournaments every now and then and stay in the top 16 so you qualify for everything."

A sort of part-time approach, like Gary Anderson is said to use according to the podcast, was mentioned as an example. Yet that image, according to Van der Voort, clashes with the Van Gerwen he has known for years. “That doesn’t suit Michael van Gerwen.”

The same applies, he says, to the way Van Gerwen talks about his performances these days. "Neither does saying, 'I don't care about playing well, I only care about winning.' That's more like James Wade. It doesn't suit Michael either."

In the past, the bar was set differently according to Van der Voort. “It didn’t matter whether he played well or badly. In the past it simply always had to be good.” Whether that fire returns is, for Van der Voort, the big question heading into the crucial months ahead. “It’s up to him now to respond at some point.”