Vincent van der Voort sees a challenging situation for Michael van Gerwen ahead of the World Grand Prix: "I think we all have to get used to that new standard"
Michael van Gerwen is entering a pivotal stretch of the season. After his early exit at the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam, the World Grand Prix follows on Monday. There, the three-time world champion faces Ryan Joyce in the first round. According to Vincent van der Voort, the timing of that clash is far from ideal for his close friend.
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Van Gerwen took a heavy blow in Amsterdam last week. Against Daryl Gurney he had six match darts, but none found the mark. In the end, he bowed out in the opening round.
That result lingered for days. During his YouTube livestream on Monday, Van Gerwen admitted he still felt sick about the defeat. Van der Voort also sees how hard the elimination has hit. “He went all in, he’s busy and training and so on… But I tell him this too: you can’t expect it to be there after a week and a half of practice,” he said on the podcast Darts Draait Door.
There is barely any time for Van Gerwen to dwell on the disappointment. First come the Players Championships in Den Bosch, then the focus switches immediately to the World Grand Prix.
Michael van Gerwen faces sporting concerns in the build-up to the World Grand Prix
Van der Voort warns about Joyce
The Leicester draw handed Van Gerwen a tricky opener in Joyce. Van der Voort points out the Englishman reached the World Grand Prix semi-finals just two years ago.
“Confidence is a bit low right now and he’ll have to work very hard to bounce back. Then Joyce is a really awkward opponent. Two years ago he was in the Grand Prix semi-final. He’s a very tough opponent. Michael must focus entirely on his own game. If he plays well, he should beat Joyce. But we also have to judge him on how he’s playing now. Then we might just have to say Ryan Joyce is a slight favourite.”
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That last remark caused surprise on the Sportnieuws.nl Darts Draait Door podcast with host Damian Vlottes. He could barely believe Van der Voort truly saw Joyce as a slight favourite against Van Gerwen.
Van der Voort, however, stuck to his view.
“He has more confidence than Michael right now. He just had six match darts and didn’t put them away. So why would we say he’ll just beat Joyce? I think we all have to get used to that new standard.”
Possible all-Dutch tie
According to Van der Voort, the onus is now on Van Gerwen to deliver his response on stage. The Brabant native must, in his view, “prove again that everyone is wrong in thinking it isn’t that good at the moment.”
If Van Gerwen clears his first hurdle at the World Grand Prix, a fully Dutch second-round clash could follow. The winner of his match against Joyce will face the winner of Danny Noppert versus Niko Springer.
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
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