"If Michael van Gerwen steps away, you won't see him come back" - Ominous outlook offered for van Gerwen's future in darts
PDC
As every tournament passes, the uneasy and gut-wrenching sinking
feeling gets more intolerable for Michael van Gerwen, whose plummet down the
rankings is looking more realistic after each tournament. His latest botched
major attempt came at the World Grand Prix, with questions over his hunger
being echoed by members of the darting world.
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The Dutchman lost out to Ryan Joyce after taking a one-set
lead. The clinical Englishman fired himself back into contention, winning the
other two sets 3-1 as van Gerwen missed a grand total of 21 darts at a double.
It is the third time he has exited a major event at the
first hurdle in 2026, following in the footsteps of the Winmau Masters and
World Series of Darts Finals, with him only having made it past that stage once
in his five prior events, that coming in Players Championship 30 in a run to
the quarter-finals.
‘Hunger’ missing from van Gerwen’s game
The results are not being produced, and the motivation levels
have also started to be question. Ranked ninth in the world, he is set to
finish the year outside the top 10 for the first time since 2011, a huge fall
from grace.
He went into the World Grand Prix with little to defend but
could not capitalise on that. It has left former world number one Colin Lloyd to
wonder what is going wrong for the three-time world champion.
"It was a free hit. I don't want to say he wasn't ready
for it, but he didn't look comfortable," Lloyd said on the Love the Darts
podcast. "There has been some odd results throughout the last six to eight
months where you think everything seems to be going well.”
Michael van Gerwen will bid for the Swiss Darts Trophy title this weekend
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He did note events in his personal life may have taken
precedence, but he narrowed down the reasons behind his poor form to his ‘hunger.’
"Michael has had a lot going on in his private life. He loves spending
time with his kids and whatever. Perhaps just that little bit of hunger's gone.
That little bit of hunger's gone. There's no question that Michael's still a
class player but it is just a case of - when you start losing that little bit
of hunger and you lose that little bit of fire in you.”
Van Gerwen walking away from darts?
Van Gerwen has achieved more than most in darts. His prime
years between 2016 and 2018 were almost inevitable, with no one even coming close
to the greatness he was showcasing. That is a long time ago now.
While the years culminating that still produced some brilliant
moments, van Gerwen has recently lost that knack for winning and is being
swamped by the top players around him in a changing of the guard. Lloyd did not think van Gerwen would not be under huge
amounts of pressure to keep competing at the highest level, with threats of him
not even competing in the near future.
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"I don't personally believe that if
Michael van Gerwen steps away, you won't see Michael van Gerwen come back,” the
former World Matchplay champion acknowledged. “He won't come back because
financially he's set. He can spend so much more time with the kids and he can
put in the odd exhibitions here and there, the odd appearances here and there.
"He has been doing it since he was 17. He won the World
Masters at 17 years old, which is 20 years ago or whatever it is. People will
say he is still young enough but he has got battle scars. He has got battle
scars from that 17-year-old kid all the way up to now. At some point or
another, mentally and physically, you think to yourself, do I really need to go
through this anymore?"
Lucas MichaelDarts Journalist
Lucas Michael is a darts journalist and reporter based in Cambridge, UK, and has been part of the DartsNews team since 2025. He covers professional darts through reports, analysis, round-ups, and live coverage, with a focus on clear context and accurate reporting across the PDC calendar.
A key part of his work is liveblogging major tournaments throughout the year, providing real-time updates, match coverage, and contextual reporting across the professional circuit. He also reports regularly from events on site and has covered the PDC World Darts Championship from the venue, delivering first-hand insight throughout the tournament.
Within the newsroom, Lucas works closely with the editorial team and supports coverage alongside Chief Content Officer Samuel Gill and reporter Kieran Wood.
Lucas holds a BA (Hons) in Sports Journalism. In his work, he places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating content promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- Assuming you qualify as one of the "muppets" in question. Classist too. And since you're so clearly interested in academia, look up "linguistic descriptivism" while you're at it. Oh, and better stay away from the working class sport of darts and maybe offer your insightful analysis to, let's say, croquet instead?Deduce635806-10-2026
- The consequences of being uneducated and grammatically challenged. "To all THOSE muppets not THEM " Everytime I see Arsepinall, I have an image of him wearing a cap, standing behind the counter of a fast food establishment.richieburnettrocks05-10-2026
- I don't understand Littler's reason for playing this tournament.rick6705-10-2026
- James Wade has become James Wide. He has piled on the tonnage considerably, he barely fits in his shirt.richieburnettrocks03-10-2026
- Littler will play whatever tournaments he decides. But does every headline have to start with him? Bristow bought Taylor through,and he followed that with Lewis. I can't see littler doing the same. Let him choose,and lose,he's getting good at that lately!rick6702-10-2026
- I believe he has it in him to qualify for the Worlds as he consistently wins matches, even if it is only one or two at a time, although his recent PC quarter-final run was somewhat encouraging in that regard. I think there is a lot of pressure for him to retire, people in the media accusing him of tarnishing his legacy. I think that is a ridiculous line of thinking. How ungrateful it is to attach terms and conditions to the amazing moments he has provided us over the course of his career. What position are we in to dictate to him how he should manage his career when it is he who achieved those successes in the first place? What's more, this is his life and the passion that sustains it, it is not for us to decide when his career is over when it is he who must bear the genuine ramifications of that decision. Since I'm sure money is not a concern, the only question on which the decision should rest is whether he truly continues to enjoy competing. He has retired once before, but the desire to compete is what brought him back. We see a lot of negative body language and he does genuinely look miserable when he is not playing well, but only he will know when he wakes up the next day whether he wants to go and do it all over again. If he wants to compete, he should, it's as simple as that, this is a decision that should not involve anyone else but him and his family. He should not retire to indulge the whims of the media or the public. What satisfaction would he receive by being forced into retirement? What closure would it bring to such a brilliant career? When Phil Taylor decided to retire, his decision was final and resolute. I believe RvB needs to get to this point himself, no matter how many 70 averages it might take. We see the likes of John Part continue to compete on a regular basis well past his prime, I say more power to him, and who knows, further glory could be around the corner, it's darts after all, you just never know. Sometimes I worry that RvB is acutely aware of the clamour for him to retire and that this pressure may even have an impact on his performances as he begins to question whether there is even a place for him in darts anymore, further compounding his poor form and creating a vicious loop. Perhaps to take his future into his own hands would provide him with a levity and freedom that would lend itself to better performances, not to mention an improved wellbeing. In any case, it is under these conditions that one can clear-headedly and definitively settle an issue so profound as retirement, not when you feel you're being rushed out the door. If his performances can no longer sustain his presence on the tour, so be it; as it stands his card seems safe for this year but is in serious jeopardy next year. He could always allow himself to drop off the tour naturally rather than forfeiting his place in the top 64, this could provide a sense of finality while offering a route back through Q-School if he so desired; after all, he's done it before. In conclusion, I just hope that RvB can play - or not play - for his own sake, rather than anyone else's, so that when the time comes he can be in no doubt as to his decision, leaving no lingering questions, so that he can reflect with no regret or uncertainty on the marvelous career he has had.Deduce635826-09-2026
- Luke Littler has been good for the sport of darts, no question. But he is not above it. For his sake and ours, he needs to be put in his place sometimes, rather than having his every whim catered to. That is not how you build a good person nor a good sporting organisation, and it's beginning to have consequences.Deduce635826-09-2026
- Extremely disappointing decision. It used to be that, along with major events and Euro Tours, the Players Championship series constituted one of three standards against which successful darts players could be measured, one of three challenges every successful darts player should be expected to master to consider themself among the elite. Now they are dead weight in the darting calendar, and player turnout and the standard of competitiveness will reflect that. The truth is that Luke Littler and other big names would rather play lucrative exhibitions than put in the hard graft that being a successful dart player requires. It undermines the authority of the PDC and the game in general. So what do they do about it? Give them exactly what they want. Of course, why wouldn't they? They are their star attractions. It is ironic that an organisation formed in protest by the sport's elite should be undermined and disrespected by their contemporary equivalents, but the PDC had a chance to stand up to them with a firm message: play 2 events all year and expect the final to be played without you. Instead, they caved in. These events will be hardly worth playing anymore and this decision may have grave consequences for the future of floor events at the elite level. Some may say the calendar is overstuffed, yet these elite players have more than enough time to play plenty of exhibitions. The Premier League in particular is gruelling, but busy players are not expected to play every event, they are expected to manage their playing schedule carefully in order to apportion their time and energy appropriately. Clayton and Humphries, for instance, both sit in the top 20 of the Players Championship and European orders of merit, in addition to competing in the Premier League; they have proven it is absolutely possible and this change is an insult to their efforts in effectively managing their calendars. I think we are seeing players who simply think they are too good for Pro Tour events, arrogance which should be punished rather than rewarded as we are seeing here. Furthermore, why should success in Euro Tours qualify you for the Players Championship Final? The PDC are blurring the lines between those three disciplines of darting excellence, and in so doing destabilising the very foundations upon which the organisation and its success is built. Some may say I'm overreacting, but this, in addition to the PDC's subservience and snivelling obsequiousness toward their biggest assets, makes me fear for the future of professional darts.Deduce635826-09-2026
- I guess this will mean the top players will turn up even less? Taken all the excitement of qualifying away I think. Wish they made it top 32 to qualify and the finals to last all week.Baphomet26-09-2026
- Great article - but not written by this site. It's taken wholesale from last Sunday's Observer with this interview published online on Saturday.Scoobedybop22-09-2026
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