"Slovakia has been really good to me since the moment I got here": Michael van Gerwen is enjoying himself in Bratislava

Michael van Gerwen has qualified for the last 16 of the Slovak Darts Open, but after his match the three-time world champion was not only focused on his own performance. The Dutchman mainly expressed his appreciation for the enthusiastic crowd in the Slovak capital, where a major darts event is being held for the first time.

Although Van Gerwen was satisfied with his victory over Krzysztof Ratajski in the second round of the 2026 Slovak Darts Open, he also saw clear areas for improvement in his performance. In particular, his lack of efficiency at crucial moments allowed his opponent to stay in the match longer than necessary.

Van Gerwen felt that he had been the better player for large parts of the match but failed to translate that dominance onto the scoreboard. "I think that's the most important thing," said Van Gerwen. "I think in some patches I was much the better player but then you need to make sure you also make sure you make that gap towards him and I didn't really do that."

According to the Dutchman, this is an important point to address before the next round. "That's something to to make sure to think about for tomorrow because tomorrow is going to be a really important day."

Besides discussing the sporting side of things, much of the conversation focused on the atmosphere inside the arena. For Van Gerwen, it was his first time competing in Bratislava, and the experience left an excellent impression.

The Dutch star was visibly impressed by the reception he received during his walk-on. From the moment his name echoed through the arena, thousands of fans cheered loudly. "It's the first time over here so yeah absolutely amazing it's good for Darts, and generally the crowd is enjoying themselves. I think that's the only thing what we want."

During the interview, Van Gerwen was asked about the remarkable reaction from the crowd during his walk-on. According to the interviewer, it seemed as though Slovak darts fans had been eagerly awaiting the Dutchman’s arrival for a long time.

Van Gerwen fully agreed with that observation and spoke warmly about everyone involved in the event. "Slovakia has been really good to me since the moment I got here. The people here, the crowd, the fans, the people that work here but normally here in the hotel everywhere. Everyone's all Darts for the first time and then to bring it over here with so many with so many fans I think it's amazing."

Van Gerwen’s comments highlight a development that has been visible within the darts world for several years. Whereas major tournaments were once mainly organized in traditional darts countries such as England, the Netherlands, and Germany, organizers are increasingly looking at new markets.

Interest in countries such as Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia continues to grow steadily. Organizers are seeing more sold-out venues and crowds that can easily rival those in the well-known darts cities of Western Europe.

Despite all the positive comments about the organization and the crowd, Van Gerwen remains focused primarily on the sporting challenge ahead. Having reached the last 16, he now faces another important test against Andrew Gilding.