Michael van Gerwen was able to precisely quantify the time between the exuberant darts party and anesthesia in the operating room.
“In eleven hours and 20 minutes” he will undergo the longer-planned intervention on his throwing hand, the Premier League champion announced in Berlin. “I hope my doctor is ready.”
Van Gerwen himself was ready to end a one-and-a-half-year major lull in good time before the compulsory break and to draw level with record man Phil Taylor with the sixth Premier League title.
“These last 18 months have hurt me a lot, I’ve been through a very difficult time. But today I’m a happy man. This title means a lot to me,” said the 33-year-old Dutchman after beating England’s Joe Cullen in a dart -Krimi had defeated in the final with 11:10. The reward was the usual winner’s pyramid, a Berlin bear and the equivalent of around 320,000 euros in prize money.
emotional victory
There were emotional images that the final premiere of Berlin offered at the end. Debutant Cullen missed the double 16 field at 10:10 and thus the title by just millimeters, only a few seconds later van Gerwen was the winner. Both were now fighting back tears: one with pride, the other with disappointment. “Michael is a fantastic player and champion, but I’m absolutely devastated,” said Cullen. That’s what he looked like when he crouched in the corner after his short statement.
“I know there’s still more in my tank,” announced the self-confident van Gerwen. The fact that he now shares the Premier League record of six titles with England legend Taylor is not enough for him. He wants to be the sole record holder. “I still have 10 to 15 years left,” said van Gerwen, who after years of dominance has experienced a low since autumn 2020 and has long since lost his top spot in the rankings.
Career-defining surgery
Before the man with the striking bright green shirt can win more titles, he now has to deal with the consequences of the operation on his throwing hand. Van Gerwen has been diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome and is struggling with tingling in his right throwing hand and arm. The injury doesn’t seem to have bothered him much, it’s primarily about minimizing possible long-term consequences.
“There is no choice with this operation. My doctor said to me: You want to have a long career, so we have to do it. If we didn’t have to do it, we wouldn’t do it,” said van Gerwen at the winners’ press conference in the Berlin Arena at Ostbahnhof.
Back to World Matchplay
The Dutchman’s plan was tight at the start of the week: final, award ceremony, press conference and the next afternoon already in the operating room. Van Gerwen chose the time and announced it at the end of May. The Premier League, for him “the second most important title behind the World Cup”, he wanted to play to the end, but he will miss the Team World Cup in Frankfurt this weekend.
Van Gerwen would like to be back by the time of the prestigious World Matchplay in Blackpool (starting July 16). “Of course I want to win more titles,” he said. The German audience praised the winner as “breathtaking” and “ready for the final evenings”. For the first time in the history of the competition, the finale of the league format was not played in Great Britain.