Michael van Gerwen once again failed to find his top level last weekend. The three-time world champion exited the
Flanders Darts Trophy in his opening match after a 6-5 defeat to Damon Heta. With an average of not even 86, Van Gerwen could not build on the training work of recent weeks.
Vincent van der Voort witnessed his close friend’s preparation up close and saw little wrong during warm-up. Once on stage in Antwerp, that changed completely.
“It was nothing at all. But he did everything he could. In warm-up he was sharp, but nothing worked on stage,” Van der Voort told the Darts Draait Door podcast.
Van Gerwen kept searching during the match for a way to raise his level. According to Van der Voort, a lack of confidence made the Dutchman experiment more and more.
“You notice that when the form isn’t there, panic sets in. Then you start trying other things: throwing harder, softer, a bit more to the left and right... His first dart just wouldn’t land. In his own legs it was decent at times, but in Heta’s he was nowhere, not even close. Heta was more than a deserved winner, and he wasn’t even really good.”
Michael van Gerwen was knocked out early at the Flanders Darts Trophy by Damon Heta
“Don’t expect miracles”
Van Gerwen has recently started putting in more training hours again. Van der Voort warns, however, that it takes time before that extra work translates into better results on stage.
“He has now started doing a lot about it, but you can’t expect that to show straight away. He just has to keep working very hard. I know what’s still in there and I still truly believe in him. Only, you shouldn’t expect miracles within a week. It would be nice if that happens, but that’s just not the case.”
Meanwhile, Van Gerwen continues to lose ground in the world rankings. In September he will also surrender his position as Dutch number two behind Gian van Veen to Danny Noppert. Van der Voort does not expect Van Gerwen to be overly concerned about that right now.
“That won’t affect him much. A few more will pass him as well. It will have to happen for him at the televised tournaments. However, you’ve seen no signs that the turnaround is coming.”
Disappointment after defeat
According to Van der Voort, the loss to Heta hit hard. Precisely because Van Gerwen had invested serious time in his preparation, the disappointment afterwards was significant.
“He was very disappointed in himself. If you don’t train and it’s not good... that can happen. But if you do practice and it still doesn’t work... then you think it’s pointless.”
Van der Voort believes the key is that Van Gerwen does not let that feeling take over. A return to his old level will not be achieved within a few days, he says.
“But he has to prevent that, because he needs a long breath for this. You can’t make up for two bad years in a week and a half. He’s positive enough about it, but it never goes fast enough for a guy like that.”