Michael van Gerwen doet de persoonlijke boosheid uit de doeken die hem motiveert om beter te spelen tijdens de Premier League.
Vorig jaar miste de Nederlander voor het eerst in zijn carrière de Play-Offs van de Premier League en hij wist al bijna zes maanden geen toernooi meer te winnen. Zijn laatste toernooioverwinning is van november 2020 op de Players Championship Finals.
Bij zijn eigen standaarden is de constantheid van Van Gerwen ook ondermaats in deze Premier League, ook wist hij slechts vijf wedstrijden te winnen in vier dagen tijdens de Super Series 3 in Duitsland van vorige week.
Desondanks pakte Van Gerwen gisterenavond de tweede plek in de Premier League na een briljante overwinning op Dimitri van den Bergh op de tiende avond van het toernooi.
VAN GERWEN: "I'm sick of losing games I shouldn't lose, so I have to turn that around.
I've had a lot of bad games in the past months and been angry with myself so many times, but I feel that it's getting there.
I demand a lot of myself because last week in Germany I had a poor performance, but that also makes you a stronger dart player.
You can use that and learn from it, and I put in a lot of energy and time into my game and I'm really glad it's starting to pay out.
I'm always critical of myself because I know what I'm capable of, and you can see now that it's still there. Of course, there's still more work to do but I feel good and you have to keep fighting hard.
From losing games like I did in Germany, you're going to be angry with yourself and invest more time in yourself. I had a few good games but overall it was a just poor performance.
Things like that unfortunately can happen in darts but you need to try to change that around. It's not always easy - it takes time but we're getting there slowly.
I see a lot of light at the end of the tunnel, and that's really important."
In de overwinning op Van den Bergh zette Van Gerwen het hoogste gemiddelde in de Premier League van 2021 tot nu toe neer, bijna 110. Wel geeft hij toe dat het niet per se zijn bedoeling was om een waarschuwing te geven aan de overige spelers in het toernooi.
VAN GERWEN: "I don't have to send out messages. People would be really naive if they don't know what I'm capable of, and I just need to look to myself and perform my game in my way.
They all know what I can do. The last time I had a really good performance - a 107 average - the next day I averaged 92 or something. I cannot be happy with things like that, I know I'm better than that but I feel better now.
I want to win this Premier League, that's the most important thing - it's a really big one."
Unibet Premier League 2021
Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes
Avond 11 - Donderdag 6 mei
Nathan Aspinall v Dimitri van den Bergh
James Wade v José de Sousa
Gary Anderson v Peter Wright
Michael van Gerwen v Jonny Clayton
© Foto: Professional Darts Corporation (PDC)