"You can’t play below par for two years and then think you’ll be all the way back in two or three months": Van Gerwen's quick return to form unrealistic says Van der Voort

Michael van Gerwen endured a week to forget. Both literally and figuratively it was “three times nothing,” as his good friend and former professional darter Vincent van der Voort aptly put it. Yet, he sees no reason to panic. The poorer results fit within a process the three-time world champion is currently in the middle of: the road back to his old peak level.

The disappointment began on the Premier League night in Manchester, where Van Gerwen was soundly beaten by Stephen Bunting. He also failed to make an impression at the Players Championships in the days before. And as if that were not enough, his Easter weekend ended prematurely as well. Three setbacks in a row, and that did not go unnoticed.

Van der Voort is clear in his analysis, but adds the necessary nuance. “He has to be critical of himself and say that it was absolutely nothing last week,” he states. “It was three times nothing. But the fact is he’s rebuilding, and one week will go worse than another.”

According to Van der Voort, the issue is not so much that Van Gerwen had a bad week, but rather how the outside world responds to it. “In the Netherlands we’re good at lifting people up, but also at tearing them down,” he says. “Maybe it’s not going fast enough for a lot of people, but this is part of it. Sometimes it just doesn’t click.”

Those words strike a sensitive chord. Because although Van Gerwen still belongs to the world elite, he is still measured against his dominant years. In that period, losing seemed almost impossible and his resilience was unmatched. It is precisely that last point that now seems to need attention.

“What you see now,” Van der Voort explains, “is that when he’s in the match, it’s simply good. He still hits an incredibly high level. But when it doesn’t flow, he can’t turn it around. At the moment he doesn’t have the resilience to come back in a match.”

That lack of recovery becomes more visible in a congested schedule. In a week with multiple tournaments in quick succession, there is hardly time to analyze mistakes or rebuild confidence. “Something wasn’t right this week,” says Van der Voort. “And then you just keep going. It kind of drifts on without you really being able to reset.”

That reset is now crucial. The focus must shift quickly, because the next challenge is already looming. In the Premier League, a key match against Gian van Veen awaits, a direct rival in the race for the play-offs. The pressure is immediately back on.

Still, Van der Voort also sees positive signs. He stresses that it is unrealistic to expect Van Gerwen to instantly hit his old level after a lean spell. “You can’t play below par for two years and then think you’ll be all the way back in two or three months,” he says. “As much as everyone wants that.”

That reality calls for patience, both from Van Gerwen himself and those around him. The foundations are still there: his scoring power, his experience, and his feel for the game. But refining form, rhythm, and mental resilience takes time.

The coming weeks will therefore be telling. Not so much in terms of immediate results, but in how Van Gerwen develops within matches. Can he overturn a deficit? Will he stay calm when it goes against him? And can he sustain his level over multiple days?

For now, the conclusion seems clear: the dip is visible, but explainable. And more importantly, according to insiders like Van der Voort, part of a bigger process. Or as he sums it up himself: “Progress doesn’t always go in a straight line. Sometimes you need to take one step back to take two steps forward after.”