Darts star Michael van Gerwen’s miserable year from Luke Littler loss and bizarre injury to split from wife Daphne

MICHAEL VAN GERWEN has had a tough year both at and away from the oche.

The Green Machine has gone through injury misery, marriage heartache and damaging defeats.

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Once one of the most feared players on the professional circuit, MVG is now seen by many as a beatable opponent when you’re on your day.

That reputation took it’s first big hit of the year when the 36-year-old fell to defeat at the hands of teenager Luke Littler in the World Championship final in January.

LUKE AWAY

Van Gerwen is a three-time world champion and one of the best players to ever take to the stage.

January’s World Championship final matchup with a 17-year-old Luke Littler was an opportunity for the Dutchman to assert his dominance over a rising star that had drawn comparisons to a young MVG.

But the chance at lifting a fourth Sid Waddell trophy was gone within a matter of minutes as Littler stormed to a 4-0 lead, ultimately going on to win 7-3.

It wasn’t just £500,000 and the trophy that was snatched away from Van Gerwen, but an 11-year record of his too.

Littler’s success as a 17-year-old made him the youngest ever winner of the worlds, trumping MVG’s record of lifting the title as a 24-year-old in 2014.

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MINNOW MISERY

There’s a caveat to losing to Littler, because despite being a teenager, he’s still one of the sport’s top prospects and best players.

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But there may not be many excuses for some of the relative minnows that MVG has succumb to throughout the season already.

Van Gerwen has fallen to defeat in the first round SIX times on the PDC circuit this season.

Those performances have included defeats to the world number 111, 94 and 71 in the Players Championship events.

Much of the darts world were left scratching their heads at his performances, but pal and opponent Raymond van Barneveld hinted it could be down to fatigue.

Speaking to TalkSport, he said: “Michael was always a killer. I don’t know what’s going on. I see him often, what is really going on with his game? I am not sure.

“We travel a lot, we play a lot. From Exeter last week, they play, one day later they go to the UK Open and play more matches.

“[It is] almost unstoppable at the moment. It is really tiring for all the players and we have to protect them you know?

“Premier League, Euro Tours, Pro Tours, in all honesty it is a little bit insane.”

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PREMIER LEAGUE PAIN

Van Gerwen is the most successful Premier League Darts player of all time, winning the competition a record seven times – one more than Phil Taylor.

But his efforts on the high-profile eight-man tour this season have been well below his usual standards.

In fact, Thursday’s 6-2 defeat to Nathan Aspinall sealed only his second-ever failed attempt to make the play-off stage of the competition in 13 appearances.

While he also went the entire Premier League campaign without winning a single nightly event.

Speaking after missing out, he said: “This is probably one of the hardest Premier Leagues I have ever played in – not in terms of players, but in terms of myself”.

While former tour player Colin Lloyd reckons that the dismal form is a sign that MVG is finished at the top level.

He said: “I think his race is run. With what he’s achieved in the game, is he that motivated anymore?

“He says he is. He says there’s plenty left it in him and that when he turns up, he’s still the man to beat and one of the best players in the world.

“I’m sorry, but I’ve got to say we haven’t seen Michael turn up for a while now. We’ve seen flashes of brilliance.

“Has it slipped into his head he has other priorities? He loves spending time with the missus and the kids going on holiday.”

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GONE MISSING

It hasn’t just been defeats that have seen MVG struggle to stitch together form this year, but also his own decisions to pull out of competitions.

Van Gerwen has missed out on five different PDC events this season for family commitments, unknown reasons and a freak injury.

Those events included multiple Players Championship matches and the Bahrain Darts Masters.

But it was his shock withdrawal from the Premier League in Berlin that caused the biggest stir after it was revealed he had injured himself by putting his SHIRT ON.

Close friend Vincent Van der Voort revealed to Dutch podcast Darts Draait Door how the bizarre injury came about.

He said: “Michael hurt himself in the afternoon—it was really unfortunate.

“He was trying on some shirts for his sponsor, and as soon as he put one on, he said something didn’t feel right. He could barely move his neck.

“He went to a physiotherapist, had a massage, even took muscle relaxants. He gave it a go, but it just wasn’t happening.”

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DAPHNE SPLIT

Van Gerwen could perhaps put some of his struggles at the oche down to distractions in his personal life.

And that became very clear when the world number three revealed that he is splitting from his wife Daphne this week.

Van Gerwen and Daphne began dating in 2008 and tied the knot six years later.

The pair have two children together, a daughter called Zoe, 7, and a son called Mike, 5.

But they have sadly decided to call an end to their time together, with Van Gerwen announcing the decision in a statement that asked for space and revealed he is withdrawing from some upcoming tournaments.

It read: “It is with great sadness that I inform you that Daphne and I have decided to end our relationship. As a result, I have withdrawn from the upcoming tournaments.

“I am sorry to disappoint my fans, but I trust that they will understand my decision.

“We are going through difficult times and ask everyone to respect our privacy during this difficult time.”

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