"If he’s seen my recent dates, there’s nothing wrong with my eyes": Michael van Gerwen quips about 'big mouth' Peter Wright after eyesight jibe

Michael van Gerwen admitted he was far from his best but insisted that survival was all that mattered after edging through a difficult opening-round match at the 2026 World Darts Championship.

The three-time world champion was pushed hard early on, with Mitsuhiko taking a set lead and moving two legs clear in the second, but Van Gerwen dug deep to turn the contest around.

“Oh, fantastic,” Van Gerwen said afterwards. “It wasn’t the best performance, was it? But at least I won. I think that’s the main thing. The most important thing in the first round of the World Championship is to survive, win and try to play as good as possible. I didn’t really do that, but a win is a win.”

Reflecting on the moment he found himself under real pressure, the Dutchman was brutally honest about his performance.

“Try to keep battling, keep performing,” he said. “Because I know if I step up a little bit, I can make it really difficult. But I made it myself too difficult. Sometimes games like this are tough. What can I say? It was crap. I can do a lot better, I know that, but it is what it is.”

Van Gerwen echoed a view commonly shared among players that the opening round at Alexandra Palace can be the most dangerous. “Of course, if you look at it from the perspective of winning the first round, what gives you the most room for improvement is winning a game like this,” he explained. “Because I don’t think I can do anything worse than this, do you know what I mean? But for yourself, you want to be more comfortable.”

He also admitted that his mindset at the start of the match contributed to his struggles. “That’s the way our darts is, unfortunately. Sometimes things get tough,” Van Gerwen said. “At the beginning of the game I wasn’t really myself. I was too pumped up. I was not with my head there where I should be. Then you’re going to make it really difficult for yourself.”

Asked about his potential second-round opponent, Van Gerwen was clearly unconcerned at this early stage. “I don’t know who we’re going to play yet,” he said. “Does anyone know? I’m not exactly sure. How do I know?”

Another interviewer highlighted the mental resilience required to come through the match, something Van Gerwen did not dispute. “I had to dig really deep,” he admitted. “That’s the way things are. Unfortunately, it wasn’t good. I can do a lot of interviews about this – it was crap, do you know what I mean? But sometimes it’s better to stay quiet and try to focus yourself more on your own game towards the next game.”

Despite the frustration, Van Gerwen believes tough wins can prove valuable later in the tournament. “Sometimes if you win games like that, it doesn’t always help you for the longer run,” he said. “This is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. You have to be good for a few weeks. I’ve got a few days off now, and I know I’m capable of putting things right in my head towards the next one.”

The Dutchman acknowledged that he may have wanted victory too badly on this occasion. “I think I was battling a battle in this match against myself,” he said. “That’s never a good sign, but that’s unfortunately how it was. Then you need to try to stay calm and try to find your own rhythm and your own pace. But what else can I do? I always give 100 per cent. Everyone knows that. But it wasn’t good. Simple as that.”

Once renowned for regularly averaging over 100 on the Ally Pally stage, Van Gerwen was asked how he can rediscover that level. “By not doing the same as I did today,” he replied. “Last year my first game wasn’t above a 100 average as well, and I also got to the final. So I put things in perspective. From here on there’s a lot of room for improvement.”

He added that his focus in the coming days would be on mental clarity. “I need to make sure I’m going to work on my own game. Try to stay a little bit more relaxed, because I think I was making myself too much crazy in my head. I was not relaxed. Simple as that.”

With a significant amount of ranking money to defend over the next 12 months, Van Gerwen was pragmatic about the bigger picture. “I’m not stupid. I know exactly how things like that work,” he said. “This is my 19th World Championship, so I know how the ranking works. If you don’t do well for a year, it doesn’t matter. You need to make sure you do well the year after.”

Questions were also raised about his preparation, particularly his absence from Minehead earlier in the season. “I was glad I wasn’t there – not for the tournament,” Van Gerwen said. “I love to play in the tournament, but I didn’t miss Minehead. Minehead was a few weeks ago, but this is the World Championship. It’s a different tournament.”

He pointed to his busy schedule since then as evidence that his game is not far away. “After Minehead I played galas in Finland, in Germany, in England. I travelled all over Europe and I played some really good darts,” he said. “I beat Littler, I beat Humphries. I also got beat. That’s the way it is. You need to make sure you keep grinding and keep battling. But guys, I’m still in the tournament, so get on.”

Van Gerwen also had time for a light-hearted dig at long-time rival Peter Wright, who has spoken openly about a potential meeting later in the event.

“I love to play Peter Wright,” he said. “I hope he has as big a mouth as he’s had the last two weeks, because I keep smashing him in the exhibitions.”

When it was suggested that Wright had questioned his eyesight, Van Gerwen was dismissive. “If he’s seen my recent dates, there’s nothing wrong with my eyes,” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with my eyesight, don’t worry. I keep getting compliments.”

Attention then turned to Van Gerwen’s noticeable weight loss and whether it could affect his throw. “No,” he replied bluntly. “Simple as that. No. I don’t want to be as fat as I can. I want to even lose more weight.”

Despite his vast experience and three world titles, Van Gerwen admitted he is not immune to nerves and emotion. “I’m still human,” he said. “I don’t think anyone has played really, really good in this tournament yet. But I don’t care. I’m still in. I’m still en route towards the final, and they still have to beat me.”

Asked whether the performance served as a wake-up call, Van Gerwen agreed. “Of course,” he said. “I’ll have a wake-up call tomorrow morning again. That’s the way our darts is. Unexpected things can happen. I gave 100 per cent, but my performance wasn’t 100 per cent.”

He also reflected on his momentum swings during the match. “Yeah, but then when I was 2–1 up in sets, I fed up again,” Van Gerwen admitted. “What can I do? I’m not a robot. I’m human. Everyone knows how much s I had in the last year. That’s darts. You have to move on. Simple.”

For all the frustration, the bottom line was clear for Van Gerwen. “But I won,” he said. “And that’s the most important thing.”