Michael van Gerwen will not play at this year's World Cup of Darts after announcing that he will receive surgery after the Premier League Darts play-offs on June 13.
Van Gerwen has had a strong opening five months of the season but his form has been indifferent as of late with his latest display seeing a second round exit with a 90 average against Callan Rydz on home soil in Zwolle.
But it has been confirmed that he has been playing through the pain of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome which gives a tingling sensation in the arm and this now needs an operation.
As a result, he will not compete in either the Players Championship double header in Niedernhausen or represent the Netherlands that week between June 16-19 either.
"For some time now I have been experiencing a tingling sensation in my throwing hand and arm. Following medical assessment, I was diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome," said Van Gerwen.
"I have been receiving treatment for a while in order to ease the symptoms, enabling me to continue to play to a good level. However, it has become clear that I will require an operation for this problem to go away permanently.
"This operation will take place on 14 June, following the Premier League Play-Offs. Unfortunately, this means I will be unable to play in Players Championships 16-17 and the World Cup of Darts.
"It is disappointing to miss the World Cup, but myself, my management, family and medical advisors agree that it is the right time to fix the problem.
"I will make decisions on other events in June and July based on how my recovery progresses. It is my goal to be back to one hundred percent ahead of the World Matchplay.
"I want to thank those around me for their support and understanding. Having this operation now means I will miss some events but should be at full strength for all the big televised tournaments for the rest of the year.
"I would also like to wish the Netherlands team the best of luck at the World Cup of Darts."
As a result, there will be a new look Netherlands side with Danny Noppert, the current UK Open champion set to partner Dirk van Duijvenbode with Van Gerwen's participation in further tournaments depending on the result of the surgery.
Good and bad news this morning. I will be having some surgery on a long standing problem and will miss the World Cup of Darts. The good news is, I will be back to 100% once my recovery is complete. The full story is too big for a post so you can see below. Regards Michael 💚
