The UK Open was the first title he won with his new Winmau darts. His form on the Players Championship series was not at the levels we expect from Van Gerwen.
Speaking in a recent interview, he said that, no matter what, players always speak up about him and that the disparity is still there, no matter if he is playing well or not.
"High trees take a lot of wind and they'll always be a target on my back. They can all say whatever they want but first they have to do it. If they do it, I say well done, but they are still miles behind me and they know that," said Van Gerwen on Winmau Darts YouTube channel in conversation with Phill Barrs.
Mighty Mike is known to practice with Vincent van der Voort and said in a recent interview that he has never seen him play so well. While he is glad with his current form, he also praised The Dutch Destroyer highly.
"I'm practising really well. Even now without a target to focus myself, I'm still capable of setting myself targets in practice. Myself and Vincent together we practice quite good. Normally Vincent speaks highly of me but he's playing well himself also."