Michael van Gerwen clearly fails against Gary Anderson at the Darts World Championship. After the match, he doesn’t spare himself criticism. The press also takes aim.
The mission to win the world title has dramatically failed for Michael van Gerwen at the Darts World Championship. The world number three surprisingly lost clearly to Gary Anderson in the round of 16 with a score of 1:4.
In the match, MvG missed numerous chances on the doubles. He hit only 31 percent of his checkout attempts (9/29) and specifically showed nerves in the decisive phases of the match.
Michael van Gerwen failed in the round of 16 at the Darts World Championship
How van Gerwen reacts to his exit from the Darts World Championship
Van Gerwen also lamented this double-weakness after the match in an interview with Dutch media: “I played below my capabilities in the decisive moments. It’s my own fault.”
The three-time world champion continued: “I actually had a good feeling, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough. It’s simply bitter. It hurts that I couldn’t show anything. From the start of the match, I let myself down in the decisive moments.”
Darts World Championship: Van Gerwen? Press writes of a “crushing exit”
MvG made it clear how angry he was with himself after the exit. He actually “should give himself a slap in the face” because he missed several chances to make it 2:2 in sets.
“At 2:2, you can still lose, but a 1:4 was really unnecessary,” van Gerwen concluded.
“Breathing!” Anderson wins spectacular duel
The clarity of the defeat, in particular, was surprising and led to harsh judgments, especially in the English press. “Michael van Gerwen experiences a crushing exit at the Darts World Championship,” headlined the Daily Mail .
And Sky Sports UK also harshly criticized the Dutchman: “Gary Anderson crushed Michael van Gerwen at Alexandra Palace.”
Van Gerwen experienced a horror year
For the Dutchman, a truly horror year ends with the clear defeat against Anderson. Both privately and professionally, things did not go well for MvG.
Nevertheless, he had believed in the World Championship title, as he explained after the exit: “I started the World Championship well, better than last year. And back then I was in the World Championship final. Did I really feel like I could become world champion? Of course, why not?”
But now things turned out differently. It is his earliest sporting World Championship exit since 2016. Since then, with one exception, MvG has always reached at least the quarterfinals. Four years ago, he had to withdraw from the tournament due to a COVID-19 infection.
MvG still looks positive into the future
Giving up after this difficult year? Definitely not an option for van Gerwen: “I could sit in a corner and cry, but that wouldn’t do any good. Tomorrow I’ll go home and rest.”
“I can achieve more this year than last year. Satisfaction, self-confidence, belief: I still love being on the podium,” van Gerwen said, showing his fighting spirit.
He then made a statement typical of him: “I’m looking forward to next year with renewed vigor. Because I feel really good. I never give up. I will always keep going. Always. You definitely won’t get rid of me yet.”