"We all know I had a tough last year": Michael van Gerwen refuses to worry about his ranking in the run-up to the World Matchplay
PDCMonday, 13 July 2026 at 17:20
Michael van Gerwen will begin his World Matchplay campaign this weekend with a challenging opening clash against Andrew Gilding. The Dutchman knows there are no easy draws in Blackpool and refuses to concern himself with either his opponent or the significant amount of prize money he has to defend on the world rankings over the coming months.
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Van Gerwen faces Gilding in the opening round, with the latter having beaten him just a few weeks ago. Even so, the three-time World Champion sees little reason to dwell on the draw.
"Yeah, it's whoever you're gonna, you're not gonna get any easy rounds, you know what I mean?" he said as per Oche180. "You always need to be on top of the game and on top of the ball and you need to make sure you play your own game, your own darts and that's what I'm always looking to, whereas if you look to other people it's only going to distract you."
No concerns over ranking pressure
Alongside the sporting challenge, Van Gerwen also faces an important battle on the PDC Order of Merit over the coming months. Between the World Matchplay and the World Championship, the Dutchman is defending a substantial amount of prize money. Having reached the final in Blackpool two years ago, another significant haul of ranking money is at stake.
Despite that, Van Gerwen refuses to let the situation create extra pressure. "No, not really to be fair, we all know I had a tough last year, if you then look to the ranking of course you're gonna put yourself in a lot of problems if you don't do well, that's the way how it is.
Rather than worrying about the possible impact on his position in the world rankings, Van Gerwen is taking a pragmatic approach. In his view, there is little point in dwelling on the situation, with his full focus instead on improving his own game.
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Michael van Gerwen faces Andrew Gilding in Blackpool.
The former world number one remains committed to investing in himself, with the aim of producing his best darts when it matters most. "But you need to take it on the chin and move on and to sit down and just make the most of it, that's the only thing you can do and keep investing time in yourself, try to keep beating the guys on the most important moments and for the rest, yeah, we'll see what happens."
Samuel GillChief Content Officer
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.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
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