Van Gerwen Darts Interview

The 21.co.uk Online Gambling UK Casino Shanghai Darts Masters kicks off on the 13th July, with coverage being shown from 8pm on ITV4. Before the event started, 21.co.uk had the chance to talk to Michael van Gerwen about his preparations leading up to the event.

Michael van Gerwen is the winner of the last 2 World Series of Darts. As well as his World Series championships, van Gerwen comes into the 21.co.uk. Shanghai Masters having won the 2016 and 2017 event. With a 100% record at the tournament since it began, van Gerwen comes into the tournament as heavy favourite, hoping to retain his title for the 3rd year in a row.

“Preparations have been good, the defeat in Las Vegas was a bit annoying for me, but what can you do. The game has to carry on and you have to keep improving.”

The defeat in Las Vegas came against James Wade, with van Gerwen losing 8-3 in the quarter finals. It may have came to a shock for the favourite to leave the competition at that stage, but van Gerwen is confident he can bounce back in Shanghai.

“Of course, you always need to believe in yourself and I never give up. I always try 100% so that’s good for myself, good for my confidence and good for my game later on I hope! I’m going to show everyone that I’m going to be the Shanghai Master.”

Last year saw van Gerwen win 8-0 in the Shanghai Darts Masters final, which surely boosted the profile of the sport in Asia. At the moment, none of the highest rated players in the PDC come from Asia, but van Gerwen expects that the continued success of the Shanghai Darts Masters will surely raise the profile of the game.

“It’s always a very respectable, very nice crowd. Very nice people who always come and watch, but they still have to learn a little bit how to be a good crowd." van Gerwen told us. "Everything takes time, it took snooker 20 years to get off the ground. Hopefully darts is a little bit quicker otherwise they won’t see me anymore!”

With all the travelling that darts players have to do, van Gerwen often finds himself on a plane, heading to the next tournament with very little breaks in between. With no time to relax, van Gerwen likes to bring his family along with him to as many events as he can.

“It’s nice, it’s still nice when my daughter is that young, and with my wife as well. It’s always nice to travel with them and spend time with them for as long as I can. I’m always quite busy, so every minute I can, I want to spend it with them.”

Darts players are famous for having a favourite checkout, with Michael van Gerwen no different. When he is playing, van Gerwen prefers to end his game on a double 16, but 21.co.uk wanted to know if he had a favourite number when he played roulette. If you fancy following in van Gerwen’s footsteps, then place your bets on number 12 on 21.co.uk’s Live Roulette tables, with a world class immersive experience.

Watch 21.co.uk's full interview with Michael van Gerwen in the video below:

21.co.uk have also interviewed Rob Cross and Peter Wright ahead of the 2018 Shanghai Darts Masters.