Three-time world darts champion Michael van Gerwen has had a difficult three years in the sport by his usual high standards. He failed to win a televised tournament in 2021, which has meant he slipped down to number four in the world rankings.
There have been signs in the early stages of the new darts season that van Gerwen is bouncing back to form. He was successful at the German Darts Championship, with victory coming over Rob Cross in the final.
His win in Germany was the Dutchman’s first tournament success on the European Tour since 2019. He had to do it the hard way in the final as he trailed Cross 1-4, before winning seven of the next eight legs to record an 8-5 victory.
Mighty Mike will be hoping he carries this form into the World Championship in 2023. He is +500 in the darts betting from Betfair for the biggest event of the season. His last success at the Alexandra Palace in London came in 2019.
As reported in the darts news, van Gerwen has also made an excellent start to the Premier League campaign in 2022. He has had victories in Exeter and Brighton. In the former of those two successes, he dropped just three legs across the evening, with wins coming over Jonny Clayton, Michael Smith and Peter Wright.
Big Targets Ahead for Van Gerwen Before World Championship
Van Gerwen is a 26-time major winner with the PDC. He will be hoping to extend that number in 2022. The World Matchplay tournament will be his next chance to secure major glory in July.
The Dutchman has won the event in Blackpool on two occasions. He lifted the trophy for the first time in 2015. Twelve months later, he defended his crown when he beat Phil Taylor in the final 18-10.
The World Grand Prix was the first major event van Gerwen won in 2012. He has had a lot of success in the tournament since then. When he lifted the trophy in 2019, he did so for the fifth time.
In what is a stacked end to the season, the European Championship, Grand Slam of Darts and Players Championship Finals are all opportunities for van Gerwen to boost his confidence prior to the World Championship in December.
Number One Spot Will Be His Target
Van Gerwen lost his position as the world number one with PDC in January 2021 after Gerwyn Price won the World Darts Championship. It was a spot that Mighty Mike had held since January 2014.
The 32-year-old holds the record for the most consecutive weeks as the world number one. He entered the history books in October 2019, surpassing Taylor, who had previously had 69 consecutive months at the top of the standings.
With a strong end to 2022, van Gerwen could overtake Wright and Price. At the very least, he can close the gap on the pair, who are a long way ahead of the rest of the field in the world rankings.
Van Gerwen’s recent performances should fill him with a lot of confidence. Time will tell if he can return to the same dominant form which saw him sweep aside everyone in front of him in the PDC between 2014 and 2019.
