VAN GERWEN WARNED TO STAY PROFESSIONAL AFTER SLOVAK OPEN FLOP
24/06/2026 By Aaron Nijjar
MICHAEL VAN GERWEN has been warned he must remain professional and do his “job” after another disappointing display on the Euro Tour.
The world No4 suffered a third-round exit at the Slovak Open after a 6-4 defeat to Andrew Gilding.
Mighty Mike was far from his best in Bratislav, edging past Krzysztof Ratajski 6-5 in his opening match with a 92.52 average.
MVG headed into the event off the back of winning the Nordic Masters and reaching the final of the World Cup alongside Gian van Veen.
Former pro Vincent van der Voort admitted he was baffled by Van Gerwen’s drop-off after his recent resurgence and suggested his preparation may not have been ideal.
He told the Darts Draait Door Podcast: “With Van Gerwen you again think: ‘How is it that you were so sharp last week, getting into your rhythm so quickly each time and playing with a certain drive, and now it’s not happening?
“Especially that mindset, that attitude, that over-my-dead-body mentality to win.
“Yes, he showed up again at the World Cup, and that really was the old Van Gerwen.
“And you just don’t notice that on the Euro Tour this past weekend.
“And of course it wasn’t ideal that the Dutch national team played on Saturday evening, right before his match. That’s not ideal.
“You still need to be professional enough. You just have to keep doing your job.”
The three-time world champ also withdrew from the Players Championship 21 and 22 events despite facing a huge rankings drop as he defends 57.7% of his prize money this year.
But Van der Voort defended Van Gerwen’s decision to skip the ProTour double-header.
He continued: “There wasn’t much he could do about this. He had an infection and that all had to be taken care of, so he really couldn’t help it.
“But it’s about the full picture. And yes, the numbers don’t lie.”
Image by Taylor Lanning.
