Phil Taylor has admitted that Michael van Gerwen may now feel the pressure after the birth of his second child, Mike as he recalled his personal experiences with The Darts Show Podcast recently.
Van Gerwen and his wife Daphne already have a daughter together Zoe who was born in August 2017 and Taylor admits that it will be on the mental side of things with the World Number One being away from home alot due to the tour and other commitments.
"I think he's going to struggle - not struggle, struggle - but he's going to feel the pressure now. He's got another baby at home with his wife and it's going to be difficult as he's going to have to be away from home and away from his young children," Taylor told
The Darts Show Podcast.
"So he's going to miss them and all of this is on your mind, it's a lot easier when you haven't got responsibilities.
"When I had young children, you were playing one week and then you had two or three weeks off so you could see your family. But now, he's away more.
"Now he's getting a little bit older, he's going to start feeling it - of course it is. That is when it's going to hit him mentally. He's had a few bad games the last few months, because his darts aren't right. It's like a golfer changing his clubs, he needs to settle down with these darts.
"It's on your mind then, so you're getting up there and you're not 100 per cent confident. If he starts losing regularly that's when you have to reinvent yourself and figure out ways of putting your career back on track.
"That's something I was very lucky at doing. I'd alter things and make sure everything was right. I had good sponsors in Unicorn who backed me and used to listen and then go away and make that product for me. The same with Target."