Despite a bad start to the year, Michael van Gerwen still sees himself as the top favorite for winning the Premier League Darts. The Brabant number one in the world thinks that his experience will be decisive in the prestigious competition.
“Of course I see myself as the top favorite. I could certainly lose a match once in a while, but you have to keep it up for sixteen weeks to perform at the highest level and I am generally good at that,” says Van Gerwen against NU.nl.
But Van Gerwen is not in the best period of his career. He lost the final of the World Cup in London early last month with clear figures from Peter Wright (3-7 in sets) and was surprisingly eliminated on Friday in the first round of The Masters in Milton Keynes by Jonny Clayton (6-10).
Van Gerwen refused to blame his new arrows after that last defeat – he changed manufacturer immediately after the World Cup after six years and switched from XQ Max to Winmau – but found the reason for the loss a lack of confidence.
“I have not played great in the last few months and then I have to blame it on the new arrows … No, I just have to do even more my stinking best. But it could easily be that in the Premier League goes a lot better. I could have just found the right set. “
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Michael van Gerwen bows his head after a bad score against Jonny Clayton on The Masters. (Photo: PDC / Lawrence Lustig)
“Always the question which Wright shows up”
Van Gerwen opens the Premier League in Aberdeen against Wright, who, in contrast to him, is in perfect shape. The Scottish number two in the world also won The Masters after the World Cup, although he was lucky in that final battle that his opponent Michael Smith missed three match darts.
“The question is always which Wright shows up, you never know. I just have to set up a good game myself. I’m not busy with revenge. We play against each other so often, I would be busy with that all year On stage I really won’t think about the World Cup final. “
“It promises to be an interesting Premier League. I don’t expect the best ever, because it was all about five years ago with Taylor, Anderson, Wade and Van Barneveld in top form, but in this edition new guys will rise again. I just have to continue as in recent years. “
Van Gerwen has been very dominant in the Premier League in recent years, and this year also has two rounds of games in Rotterdam (25 and 26 March). In the past four editions he won the overall victory and is in total on five Premier League titles, just one less than record holder Taylor (six).
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