“Too early to say that": Lukas Wenig pushes back on Michael van Gerwen’s bold Niko Springer claim

Lukas Wenig produced the biggest win of his season and one of the standout moments of his career so far on Sunday afternoon, defeating Jonny Clayton 5–3 to keep his 2025 Grand Slam of Darts campaign alive — and then used his post-match press conference to pour a little cold water on Michael van Gerwen’s bold claim about fellow German talent Niko Springer.

Wenig, who has spent much of 2025 grinding through tight games and painful last-leg defeats, finally found the composure that has deserted him in recent months. He averaged 93.98, took out 50 percent of his doubles, and secured two crucial breaks of throw to topple the 2021 Premier League champion.

And after the win, he was quick to set the record straight on van Gerwen’s comment that Springer is already the best German player ever.

“I think it’s too early to say that,” Wenig told the media post-match. “When you see his progress, it’s really, really big, and we will see what comes from him in the future. At the moment he’s doing great work, but I think it needs a lot of time to say he’s the best German player ever.”

Clayton started the match confidently, holding throw in the opening leg and then nudging 2–1 ahead with a clean D18. Wenig hung tough, levelling with finishes of 20, 25 and D20, before landing a momentum-shifting break in the fifth leg with D18 to lead 3–2.

Clayton responded instantly, breaking straight back with a 40 checkout, but Wenig refused to wobble. The 30-year-old broke again with a solid D8 to move one leg from victory, then closed out the match on the same target to claim his first-ever win on the Grand Slam stage.

Clayton actually shaded the scoring phase of the contest — eight 140s and two 180s to Wenig’s five and one — but Wenig’s finishing told the story: five doubles from ten attempts compared to Clayton’s three from fifteen.

That clinical edge is something Wenig has been desperate to rediscover. “I’ve struggled the last weeks and months on stage and lost a lot of games in the decider,” he said. “It feels really good to win on this stage. Just an amazing, good feeling.”

This Grand Slam appearance marks another milestone in a year that has seen Wenig grind his way to steady improvement since winning his Tour Card. “Yes, it’s okay,” he said when asked about his progression. “It got even better because I lost a lot of games, but I made the Worlds at the end of the year, my first Worlds, and that’s one of the biggest steps. It’s amazing and I’m really glad about it.”

Reaching a ProTour final earlier in the season also changed the trajectory of his year. “That is one of the biggest moments for every player who comes to the tour,” Wenig explained. “Before the final, the Worlds were far away, but after the final I was in. Then I played the rest of the season really good, had other good results, beat good players. I have a plan: one step after the next.”

Those steps have not all been smooth. Wenig admitted yesterday’s defeat — a decider lost after missing match darts — made this bounce-back win even more important. “In my last games on stage I lost four or five deciders with a lot of match darts,” he said. “It’s difficult to bring the last one in. But I’m glad that I beat Jonny again. It’s really important and it feels good.”

Wenig and Niko Springer are part of the same rising German generation, and the pair are even sharing accommodation in England during the tournament.

“I’ve known Niko for years, and we have the same house at the moment for the tournament,” Wenig said. “I love his progress. I’m a really big fan of him because he does the right work. It’s a pleasure to meet him and talk with him.”

But admiration doesn’t mean he’s ready to crown him Germany’s greatest. “It’s too early to say that,” he reiterated. “But his progress is really big.”

Wenig now moves to one win from the knockout stages, a leap he knows would represent another significant milestone. “Really big, because it’s the next step,” he said. “It’s a pleasure to be here, to play on this stage, and if I come to the knockouts it would be so big.”

With confidence restored, finishing tightened up, and a statement victory under his belt, Wenig has given himself the perfect platform to push for a last-16 place. The steps he keeps talking about might be slow, but this one was heavy, meaningful, and fully earned.