Vincent van der Voort has spoken bluntly about his good friend Michael van Gerwen, saying he is genuinely worried after what has been a difficult spell for the three-time world champion both on and off the oche.
Van der Voort — who knows van Gerwen well from years on the tour — painted a picture of a player who is still capable of flashes of the old brilliance but is struggling to find consistency. “You can tell he puts on a brave face in public, but behind that there’s emptiness,” he said, capturing the sense that the problems are as much personal as professional. “He’s really struggling with himself now.”
That private struggle, Van der Voort explained, has bled into Van Gerwen’s form this year. He pointed to a run of mediocre results across the ProTour and televised events, which has left van Gerwen’s season looking patchy. “It’s been a year of nothing. Especially on the Pro Tour. He played a lot, but didn’t perform,” Van der Voort said, adding that only a few European Tour highlights have prevented the season from being written off entirely.
Off the board, Van der Voort hinted at difficult personal circumstances that have compounded the pressure. He referenced a recent split in van Gerwen’s family life and his father’s ongoing health battle, and said: “I understand what’s happening at home for him. I’ve spoken to him — it’s quiet and empty at home. It’s all hitting him.” Simple domestic details — even the loss of routine and companionship — can matter at the elite level, Van der Voort argued: “Now, for example, the dogs are gone — it’s quiet and empty at home. I understand that he wants to go out for dinner, to get away. That might make more sense than sitting on the couch on a Saturday night thinking too much.”
Those comments underline why close friends on the tour are concerned about van Gerwen’s immediate future. The Netherlands star has long been one of darts’ benchmark performers, but this year his results have been inconsistent and at times disappointing for a player of his pedigree. Van der Voort warned that the next period is crucial: “Next year is huge. He has to defend everything.”
That warning hints at more than sentiment; with places in various finals and ranking points under threat, a dip in form can have cascading effects on seedings and qualification. It also feeds into a wider narrative on the tour: younger, hungry players who train relentlessly are closing the gap, and van Gerwen will need to find something close to his previous discipline and focus to remain at the very top.
Van der Voort struck a balance between empathy and realism. He acknowledged van Gerwen’s talent is undeniable — the scoring power and big-match temperament are still there — but stressed that talent alone is no longer enough without the daily work and mental clarity that sustained excellence requires. “I understand it, but I’m worried about his career,” he said.
For fans and rivals alike the image is sobering: a champion who, for the first time in a long while, looks vulnerable. That vulnerability has produced mixed reaction around the game — from calls for van Gerwen to redouble his training to reminders from friends and peers that players are human and life events can have a profound impact.
Whatever the route back, the consensus is clear: van Gerwen will need both time and tactical recalibration. He must find ways to protect his mental space while rediscovering the consistency that made him a dominant force. As Van der Voort put it, the public face still shows sparks of the old Michael, but the private struggle can no longer be ignored — and that’s why those closest to him are watching with concern.
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