Michael van Gerwen has confirmed that he will return to action at this weekend’s Dutch Darts Masters in Amsterdam.
The inaugural staging of the PDC World Series event at the Ziggo Dome will see Van Gerwen return from a brief hiatus to headline the 16-player tournament, which starts today (June 24) and ends on Saturday.
Van Gerwen underwent wrist surgery on June 14 after revealing last month that he had been suffering from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in his throwing arm.
The Dutchman battled through the pain barrier to lift a record-equalling sixth Cazoo Premier League title in Berlin last Monday, edging out debutant Joe Cullen 11-10 in an epic final.
Van Gerwen’s operation took place just hours later, which ruled him out of the Players Championship double-header in Niedernhausen and last weekend’s Cazoo World Cup of Darts in Frankfurt.
“I’m looking forward to returning this weekend in Amsterdam for the Dutch Darts Masters,” said Van Gerwen, one of nine Dutchmen set to appear in the 60,000-pound tournament.
“I had a gentle practice today. Thank you for all the messages about my operation, it all went very well,” he added.
World Champion Peter Wright will also feature alongside World Cup runners-up Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton, ten-time TV title winner James Wade and history-maker Fallon Sherrock.
Michael Smith and Dimitri Van den Bergh, winners at the US Darts Masters and Nordic Darts Masters, respectively, make up the eight PDC superstars heading to the Ziggo Dome.
Van Gerwen began playing darts at the age of 13. He won the 2006 World Masters and threw a televised nine-dart finish at the 2007 Masters of Darts, becoming the youngest player to do both, aged 17.
However, after this initial burst onto the darting scene, van Gerwen struggled for consistent form until his breakthrough year in 2012. Improving from world number 38 at the start of 2012 to number four at the beginning of 2013, he won his first major PDC title at the World Grand Prix and reached the final at the 2013 World Championship.
In 2014, at the age of 24, van Gerwen became the youngest winner of the PDC World Championship, a record he still holds today, as well as being one of only five players to win it more than once. He also has the record for the highest three-dart average in a televised darts match, with 123.4.
He dominated darts in subsequent years, winning 18 tournaments in 2015 and 25 in 2016. Van Gerwen is the second most successful player in PDC history, behind Phil Taylor.
He has won the most PDC Pro Tour events, winning 75 as of June 2019. He passed Taylor’s previous record of 70 in February 2019 by winning Players Championship Event 3, beating Ian White 8–5 in the final.
