'Yes, I also went out for a day, but doesn’t everybody do that?': Michael van Gerwen shuns criticism of partying over playing

Michael van Gerwen is still relishing the chance to play in front of a packed Dutch crowd. On Friday night, the three-time world champion steps onto the AFAS Live stage for the World Series of Darts Finals, following a summer in which he deliberately took time away from the hustle and bustle at home.

Over the past few months, Van Gerwen carved out space for himself. At the invitation of DJ Nicky Romero, he attended Tomorrowland, the world-famous dance festival in Belgium. “Really super cool,” Van Gerwen told AD.nl. “Nicky asked if I wanted to come along. Normally I can never go, but this time it worked out. Well, then I go there too. Magisterial, man. I stood behind Nicky while he was spinning his set. Other people would kill for that! Truly a once-in-a-lifetime.”

Music became a theme of his break, with a Martin Garrix show in Ibiza also on the agenda. Through social media, fans saw a different side of Van Gerwen. “Because you know what it is? I’m just a human being too. At a certain point, you want to think about nice things again, not just deal with the crap you’re going through.”

That “crap” refers to his divorce from Daphne, his wife of more than a decade and the mother of his two children. “I didn’t get to write this script myself, so I’ll still have to deal with it in a way I think is right. You can also sit and grieve all day, but that’s no use. So you start doing fun things, taking time for yourself.”

Criticism in Ibiza

Reports emerged during his Ibiza trip that Van Gerwen was drifting from darts, moving from party to party. He responded with typical bluntness. “But I was in Ibiza just on vacation with my kids, you know. Yes, I also went out for a day, but doesn’t everybody do that? People emphasize that, but I don’t really care what anyone else says. They just have to go through what I went through. You have to get on with your life and see things through to closure, although that’s easier said than done.”

Van Gerwen admits that finding a new balance is still a work in progress. “Whether it will succeed? Not quite yet. It takes time. There are all kinds of balls I have to try to keep in the air. I’m still in the middle of the divorce. Not everything is sorted in a few days. You’re busy with the settlements, the aftermath. You have to do that carefully, without mistakes.”

Focus Back on the Oche

Now, attention shifts to the oche with a busy autumn of majors and the World Cup ahead. “I didn’t do anything for three weeks, but I do that more often,” he said of his summer break. “I still find darts super fun and I’m definitely not there reluctantly. But since having my kids, I’ve always said darts is no longer number one. My kids are number one, then comes everything else. But at the end of the day, it’s also my bread and butter — and if you do well in darts you can give the kids more. It’s all connected, I’m well aware of that.”

Recent performances show Van Gerwen is still capable of hitting top gear. In Prague, he averaged 112 in a 6–0 demolition of Mike De Decker. Still, he remains realistic. “But then people are immediately too short-sighted. People do scoreboard journalism, but I can put that into perspective myself. I’m in a process and that takes time.”