Michael van Gerwen risked being fined and purposely explains why he snubbed Luke Littler
Michael van Gerwen is bidding to outdo Luke Littler this time around at the Dutch Masters.
Michael van Gerwen has opened up on not watching Luke Littler’s dramatic rise at the World Darts Championship, having risked being fined in his exit at Alexandra Palace. The Dutchman suffered a surprise quarter-final exit to Scott Williams, having been one of the favourites to win the entire competition.
There were concerns that the three-time world champion had been unwell in the build-up to the match, which he did not confirm, but hit back at the suggestion that it was his biggest disappointment ever at Ally Pally.
"No, then you're exaggerating,” Van Gerwen told Sportnieuws. “The guy (Williams) can just throw well, only I just fell through the ice for myself. I have to take the right learning moments from this and from there I have to look forward and make sure everything gets better."
The 34-year-old declined to take part in any media duties in the aftermath of his unexpected exit, which can carry a punishment by the PDC. Dutch media asked to speak with their biggest star after the defeat and Van Gerwen has explained why he turned them down.
"Viaplay asked if I wanted to do the interview, but I had nothing to say at that moment,” he added. “They gave me that space, it's not that you are obliged to. That I might be fined? Yes, that's possible. Only I've never had a fine for that, you know. Raymond did I think, I'm not sure."
Van Gerwen did bounce back from disappointment in London to reach the final of the Bahrain Masters. He was beaten by an inspired Littler who had taken the darts world by storm, with everyone but Van Gerwen watching along as he reached the final as a 16-year-old, only to be defeated by Luke Humphries.
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"I didn't see it,” Van Gerwen admitted. “I did follow some on Livescore but I didn't watch a match after my elimination. I hope it will be a clash like between Phil Taylor and myself. That's good for the sport anyway, everyone wants to see that. There are going to be a lot of great matches between us."
Van Gerwen can get his revenge in his homeland this weekend, though has a battle with his best friend Vincent van der Voort in the opening round to overcome first. "That's a bit unfortunate but you can't do anything about it,” he continued. “It is what it is.
“We both don't participate in bullying or games, we are professionals. We just have to deal with this properly. I want to win the tournament, so I just have to beat him. Even though it's my best friend.”