VAN GERWEN VOWS TO AVOID COMPLACENCY
12/02/2026 By Aaron Nijjar
MICHAEL VAN GERWEN is determined to avoid complacency as the Premier League rollercoaster gathers pace.
World No.4 Van Gerwen defeated Stephen Bunting, Luke Humphries and Gian van Veen to win night one of the major tournament.
‘Mighty Mike’, who has won the PL seven times, finally got a nightly victory, his first since taking the title in Birmingham on April 11, 2024.
But Van Gerwen knows better than most how quickly fortunes can swing in the weekly roadshow.
He said: “The Premier League is always a rollercoaster, so you need to make sure you perform week after week.
“I’ve been in a position before when I won three nights in a row and then afterwards I played poorly, so I need to keep my focus and the momentum going.
“People know what I’m capable of. I don’t have to make statements. Everyone still wants to beat me, but more importantly I still want to beat them.
“There’s still a lot of room for improvement, so as long as I keep that in mind, anything is possible.”
Van Gerwen has endured an inconsistent start to the year, lifting the Bahrain Masters crown and finishing runner-up at the Saudi Arabia Masters.
The Dutchman was then dumped out in the first round of the Winmau World Masters after falling to Damon Heta.
Van Gerwen returns to Premier League action this evening and faces Josh Rock in Antwerp.
Image by Taylor Lanning.
