Michael van Gerwen returns to darts stage after marriage split

Daily Record

6 hours ago

Dutch star appeared in Belgium and now poised for World Series event in US
Mighty Michael van Gerwen is back on the stage and ready to return to the big-time at this week's US Masters in New York.
The three-times World Champion has been absent from darts for a short spell after taking time away from the game following the public announcement last month of a separation from wife Daphne.
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However, Van Gerwen was back on the oche on Saturday evening when taking part in a Modus exhibition in Waregem, Belgium.
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The 36-year-old is now poised for a comeback to the competitive PDC scene at the Word Series event at Madison Square Gardens this upcoming weekend.
Van Gerwen's return will see him hunt success in the United States for a third time having won the Big Apple tournament on two previous occasions, most recently when thrashing North American Champion Jeff Smith 8-0 in 2023.
The Dutchman's appearance will be hugely welcomed by his army of fans and a tilt at the fourth World Matchplay crown in Blackpool next month now on the agenda.
Van Gerwen's colleague and fellow PDC pro Vincent van der Voort stated last week that his buddy is ready to go again has focused after his period away from the oche.
Speaking on his Darts Draait Door Podcast, van der Voort revealed: 'He is working hard on himself and is at least training a lot again.
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"Of course, there is still a lot to be arranged with the divorce, but I do have the idea that the switch has been turned and that he is fully focused on his career again.
"I hope to see a good Van Gerwen again within a few months. It can go fast. Will he be as eager as he was eight years ago? That is what you want to work towards.'
Van Gerwen, who missed Finals night of the Premier League at London's O2 for the first time in his career this term, will rejoin the elite ahead they head across the Atlantic for the World Series event.
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World Champion Luke Littler and World No.1 Luke Humphries will make their first appearance since the pair's shock World Cup flop with England to headline the list of eight PDC representatives, which also includes reigning champion Rob Cross.
Gerwyn Price, van Gerwen and 2019 winner Nathan Aspinall will be supplemented by Stephen Bunting, who has starred in all three World Series finals in 2025, winning the Bahrain Darts Masters and Nordic Darts Masters, while finishing runner-up at the Dutch Darts Masters.
Bunting will now make his debut on American soil having won a ProTour in Leicester last week, while Australian No.1 Damon Heta also makes his first World Series appearance of the season.
Alongside the US Darts Masters, the bet365 North American Championship will also take place on Saturday June 27, as the eight North American challengers compete for the coveted title and a place in this year's World Darts Championship and Grand Slam of Darts.
The seventh staging of the US Darts Masters will see the eight PD stars joined by eight North American stars across a bumper weekend of action.