Van Gerwen ready for Dutch Darts Masters despite wrist surgery: 'I'm too much of a winner not to play'

Friday the Dutch Darts Masters starts in the Ziggo Dome. Michael van Gerwen will take on Danny Noppert in the opening round.

Van Gerwen recently underwent surgery on his wrist, but will still be present in Amsterdam tomorrow. "I'm not assuming it will be easy," Noppert said during the presentation of the Toto Dart Kings team, which gathers the best Dutch players under one roof. Van Gerwen reacted witty: "No, I would not assume that."

Mighty Mike sought advice from his doctors. "I literally asked them: can something happen that will make me suffer more again, that will stop me in the long run? Then the doctor said: breaking down can't happen anymore, I've already done that. He said I could start throwing again, if I felt good. That's what I did. I feel good and then I want to play. Maybe I'm too much of a winner for that."

Van Gerwen was already throwing darts last weekend, less than a week after his surgery. "Very exciting, because you start throwing and you feel some weird stitch. But I knew this had to happen to make sure I'm around for a long time. It's not a sprint, but I want to win that marathon. That's what I'm going to do."