“Then you immediately silence the criticism” – Van der Voort sees Van Gerwen making progress but still sees plenty of areas for improvement

Michael van Gerwen had an encouraging yet frustrating tournament last week at Players Championship 1. The Dutchman reached the semi-finals and showed patches of strong play, but according to Vincent van der Voort he let a golden chance to win the title slip away.

The former professional, who followed Van Gerwen closely, does see clear progress in the three-time world champion’s game. Van der Voort spoke candidly on the Darts Draait Door podcast about what he saw and where he believes improvements are still needed.

According to Van der Voort, the day started sluggishly, but after a few technical and mental tweaks Van Gerwen increasingly found his rhythm. “It started as a very scrappy day, but after the third round I made a few small adjustments with him. Then he started throwing really well. I knew from that moment he would keep playing well and I also thought he could win today.”

That’s precisely why the disappointment is so big that he ultimately couldn’t close out the tournament. “He really should have won it today. It’s a shame he kind of messed up the semi-final, especially missing a lot of chances early on. Then you end up losing 7-6, but there are plenty of positives to take.”

The improvement, Van der Voort says, mainly came because the tension left Van Gerwen’s throw. That also changed his release. “He was a bit tense at the start and was throwing quite hard. There was clearly tension there. We brought in a bit more relaxation, which allowed him to let go again. As a result, his technique improved too. His darts sat better in the board and it felt smoother. From that moment he really played much better.”

Despite the progress, Van der Voort still sees a clear point of focus: finishing on the doubles. Especially in key phases, Van Gerwen still leaves too much behind. “He missed a lot of doubles early in that match against Wade. He goes 1-0 up, misses darts for 2-0 and then chances to pull away further. Then you keep Wade in the match and he takes his chances. When he has three darts in hand at a double, he still misses too many. He really has to get better there.”

At the same time, Van der Voort stresses the upward trend. The semi-final confirms to him that Van Gerwen is on the right track. “If you see what’s happening already, another semi-final, while he didn’t make a single semi-final last year, then there’s definitely an upward curve.”

He also sees improvement in the overall pattern of play, though control sometimes still slips at crucial moments. “It’s not a given anymore. If he takes a lead in a leg, he sometimes gives it back. That has to be better. But if he keeps playing a lot and keeps winning these kinds of matches, that will sort itself out. He’s still too good for it not to.”

Beyond the sporting assessment, Van der Voort also looks at the bigger picture. The semi-final marks a strong start toward qualifying for the Players Championship Finals, a tournament Van Gerwen missed last year.

“You start with a semi-final and the goal is to lock in qualification as quickly as possible. Ideally you’re a hundred percent certain by around April or May. Then you can take a calmer approach in the autumn and you immediately quell the criticism.”

That pressure was intense last season, Van der Voort recalls. “Last year from the summer onwards it was a major talking point: will he make it or not? If you get it done early, it saves a lot of questions and a lot of pressure.”