"You’re not talking about a numpty, maybe he acts like one, but he’s not" – Michael van Gerwen survives against 'boring' Alexis Toylo at Bahrain Darts Masters

Michael van Gerwen wrapped up his first official outing since the World Darts Championship with a win. The 36-year-old Dutchman beat Filipino Alexis Toylo 6–4 in the opening round of the 2026 Bahrain Darts Masters.

As so often post match, “Mighty Mike” was honest, incisive and uncompromising about his game, his opponent, the calendar ahead, and especially the pressure that many believe is bigger than ever this season. Van Gerwen himself? He refuses to get carried away for a moment by talk of rankings, money or “challenges”.

“Everyone who knows me knows I don’t enjoy games like this,” Van Gerwen said immediately afterwards. “Of course, in patches I think I played alright. And so did he. But his pace and everything is a bit boring, I think.”

It was typical Van Gerwen: no sugar-coating and no attempt to make it sound better than it was.

Van Gerwen visibly struggled to find his rhythm against Toylo. “He’s thrown 25 darts before he releases his first one,” Van Gerwen said. “But that’s his game. So he needs to try to adjust himself. I know him because I’ve known him for quite a long time, so I’m aware of it. But still, it’s not the most easy thing.”

Dealing with it is easier said than done, even for a three-time world champion. “You need to make sure you stay cool,” Van Gerwen explained. “It’s a tough game. I think he’s a fantastic player. He won the Asian Tour as well, so you’re not talking about a numpty. Maybe he acts like one, but he’s not. He’s a good player. You need to make sure you’re aware of what you’re doing.”

Frustration? Van Gerwen firmly denied it. “Nobody gets frustrated,” he said. “But if you look at all the new players these days, no one is that slow. No one has chalk in his hand, you know what I mean?”

The match served as preparation for what Van Gerwen himself calls the first truly important tournament of the year: the World Masters. “Of course,” he said. “That’s the most important one — the first important one on the calendar. You need to make sure you’re ready for that one.”

That preparation is anything but calm. The darts world is thundering on at high speed, with Saudi Arabia next, followed by the World Masters and then the Premier League almost immediately afterwards. “Unfortunately, you need to make sure there’s a lot of important things coming up,” Van Gerwen said. “Especially with Saudi next week, the Masters afterwards. And straight away we’re going to start with the Premier League. So I’m looking forward to that.”

The build-up to Bahrain was less than ideal. Van Gerwen was ill for a week shortly after the Worlds. “I was sick for a week, so I missed one week,” he admitted. “But for the other week, I think I had a week of good practice and good preparation. But that’s the way how it is.”

Normally, this time of year would look very different for him. “Normally, I’m at a hot resort somewhere in Thailand or the Caribbean,” he said. “But now, things have changed for me. So I need to make sure I’m on top of my own game now.”

One of the most talked-about topics around Van Gerwen this year is his position in the world rankings. For the first time in a long while, he is no longer the Dutch number one — that title now belongs to Gian van Veen. Van Gerwen appeared unmoved. “That doesn’t really bother me, to be fair,” he said. “I think Gian is fantastic. He did really well in the last year, and fair play to him. Now he can have the title of Dutch number one. Have it.”

He did, once again, question the weight of the World Championship in the rankings. “I always said the World Championship counts too much on the ranking,” he said. “I said it eight years ago already.”

With the £1 million winner’s cheque now in place, the imbalance has only grown, but Van Gerwen believes changes are coming. “They will change, or at least they will try things,” he said. “Because I know they’re looking into it. I think the PDC and the PDPA are doing it as we speak behind the scenes.”

Money, however, is not something he dwells on. “People always look, money this, money there,” he said. “I never look to money anywhere in the world. So I’m not going to do it this time as well. You have to perform. Simple as that.”

Perhaps the most telling exchange of the interview came when Van Gerwen was asked whether he was relishing the “challenge” of the season ahead.

“What challenge?” he replied. “I don’t think there’s a challenge.”

When the interviewer suggested it was about looking forward to what lies ahead, Van Gerwen pushed back even harder. “You want to make it a challenge. That’s different. You want to make a story — that’s different,” he said. “If you have my capability, nothing is a challenge. You know that.”

It was a response that summed up perfectly how Van Gerwen still sees himself: as the benchmark, not the hunter.

Despite everything he has achieved, Van Gerwen remains under constant scrutiny. But it barely seems to affect him. “I produced too much in my life to not have the spotlight on me,” he said. “But I don’t really care. I put pressure on myself anyway. That’s the player I am.”

That self-imposed pressure is something he embraces. “Whatever people think or say, I don’t really care,” he added. “I just need to make sure I’m ready for the battles. I only need to make sure I’m focusing on my own performances.”

When asked whether, after such a long career, it is still possible to find new things to work on, Van Gerwen was quick to draw a line when Luke Humphries was mentioned. “Luke Humphries only played in the Premier League for a few years,” he said. “That’s different. You can’t compare me to guys like Luke Humphries if you talk about experience.”

Even so, the fight remains essential. “You have to make sure you keep fighting and keep challenging it,” Van Gerwen said. “I love it. You need to make sure you have that battle in you. Otherwise, you’re never going to be the player you want to be.”

Finally, attention turned to the Premier League Darts, a competition in which Van Gerwen missed out on the play-offs last year. Is that an extra target this time around?

“The Premier League doesn’t start until the beginning of February,” he said. “So there’s a few other tournaments I need to make sure I’m going to perform in before that — like here, like in Riyadh, like the Masters — and then we’re going to worry about the Premier League.”

One tournament at a time. “It wouldn’t be fair in the other tournaments,” Van Gerwen concluded. “If these events weren’t that important, all the big boys wouldn’t be here. Simple as that.”

He was equally relaxed about the Premier League line-up itself. “It’s not up to me,” he said. “You can challenge lots of darts players, but I don’t really care, to be honest.”