The Summer Series though will see competitive action return with five Players Championship events set to take place. There is still uncertainty over these tournaments though with measures currently in place which see non-UK travellers like Van Gerwen having to quarantine for 14 days.

Van Gerwen already said last week to DartsNews that it is a potential problem for himself and fellow Europeans. “It is almost impossible for Europeans to be there two weeks in advance. Two weeks in a quarantined hotel, the same food, that is difficult for European players.”

But speaking to NUSport, he said he is looking forward to travelling again after his life was suddenly disrupted due to Coronavirus. “I long to start again. I missed it. I've travelled all my life, so it takes a lot of getting used to when you suddenly get home. But I have experienced beautiful things with the children. I learned that rest is not for sale for a million euros, ”says Van Gerwen.

The lack of competition also caused a loss of motivation for practice. “I have sometimes struggled to motivate myself during practice, but I don't worry about that. I know what to do to get back to the top level, I have shown that more often after a holiday. But this took a bit long. I'm going to practice a bit more and then I'll be ready for it. ”