"I can be a miserable bastard sometimes, Michael van Gerwen says with a grin and a shrug as he tries to explain his new burst of optimism after a horribly testing year. But I can also be quite positive. If you asked me this question a month ago, and we did this interview then, you would find me a bit different to today."
"Maybe it's better to say it has not changed me as a person but it has changed my way of thinking. It has made me understand what's most important in life. It has to be family. Of course I love darts but I love my kids much more. Before, when I didn't have kids, it was easier. Darts was always my number one."
Michael van Gerwen endured a harrowing 2025 marked by divorce after 17 years, his father's battle with cancer, intense media scrutiny, and a loss of form in darts. He previously held a record 2,559-day run as world No 1 between 2014 and 2021 but has shown inconsistent play over the past five years. He says his personal trauma has changed his way of thinking and clarified priorities, placing family above darts. He reports feeling more positive now and stresses the need to balance professional ambition with parenting responsibilities while attempting to regain competitive sharpness.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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