Michael van Gerwen insists he’s a man on a mission as he stands on the brink of a fourth world crown.
But the Dutch ace made it crystal clear with a live TV expletive that he’s achieved nothing yet at this year’s Ally Pally showpiece. Van Gerwen hammered Chris Dobey 6-1 in the semi-finals to storm into the Final for the seventh time in his PDC career. The Green Machine barely gave the Geordie an inch as he started strongly and kept up the pace to move one game from glory. Van Gerwen has eyes on the prize as he said: “I’m here with a mission, with a target and this was part of it.
“You are always going to have ups and downs, but I think I showed a lot of mentality because, even when things were not going my way, I was still able to produce some good stuff at the right moments. That gives me a lot of confidence. To win on this stage, especially in a semi-final, means a lot to me. My family is watching at home and it means a lot.”
Van Gerwen has produced at key times to show he’s getting back to his best, but is adamant there’s nothing to celebrate at this stage. He had to apologise on the TV after saying: “I don’t care, I’m only in the Final. I’ve won f**k all yet, so I need to make sure I am going to do it.”
That desire and drive may have come out the wrong way, but says everything about the determination which Van Gerwen has to get his hands on the trophy for the first time in six years.
He’s making sure he does not get ahead of himself as stated: “What I always say, we are not even close yet. We are still so far away. I still have to battle and the title is still far away.
“That is what you have to keep telling yourself because I don’t want to make mistakes. I want to keep battling with everything I have in my body. I love what I do. I love performing on the stage. It’s my passion and, after family, it is my life.
“It’s going to be incredible. The Worlds has a lot of fantastic moments, the crowds are loving it, the people at home I think are loving it, so what more can you want? This is darts at a high level and this is what we want to do.”
Van Gerwen showed no mercy to Dobey as he raced away to the success which has placed him to the edge of the title. A sharp start saw him lead 2-0 and, although the Newcastle ace was able to win set three, it was all he got out of the three-time champ. Van Gerwen, despite not being at his sparkling best, was able to come up with the big shots at the big moments as he forged back clear and over the finishing line.
He said: “I think a 98, 99 average is not that bad. I can be happy with the performance. Of course, I wasn’t playing as explosive as I was in the last game, but I was efficient. When I had to do things, I was doing them at the right moments and that is what you have to do if you want to win games.”