Darts legend Raymond van der Voort has sharply criticized Michael van Gerwen’s recent scheduling decisions, arguing that MVG is prioritizing a family holiday over crucial ranking tournaments. With Van Gerwen facing a significant drop in world rankings due to defending major final runs, his choice to skip key events like the Baltic Sea Darts Open and Players Championships 19 & 20 for a trip to Ibiza – while still attending an unranked exhibition – has sparked a heated debate about his career management and commitment.
The Ranking Predicament
Raymond van der Voort voiced his strong concerns on the Darts Draait Door Podcast, highlighting Michael van Gerwen’s critical need for ranking money. Van Gerwen is currently defending significant points from his final appearances at both the World Matchplay and World Championships. Failing to replace these points could see his world ranking plummet as low as 21st.
Despite this urgent need, **Van Gerwen made a controversial decision:**
- **He withdrew from:**
- **The Baltic Sea Darts Open**
- **Players Championships 19 and 20**
- **The reason? A family holiday to Ibiza.**
- **Adding to the surprise, he chose not to withdraw from the unranked Nordic Darts Masters, an exhibition event taking place the same week.**
A Missed Opportunity?
Van der Voort didn’t mince words, calling it **”not an isolated incident, but a structural problem that everyone just cancels.”** He lamented that many top players skipping events turn them into “B-level tournaments,” yet paradoxically, this created a golden opportunity for Van Gerwen.
Indeed, with most of the world’s top players – including six of the top ten, such as Luke Humphries and Luke Littler – **skipping the tournament in Riesa, it would have been an ideal chance for MVG to secure the much-needed ranking money to maintain his position within the world’s top twenty.**
Critique on Career Management
Van der Voort further questioned Van Gerwen’s overall schedule management, particularly his decision to attend the unranked World Series event, which offers no ranking points whatsoever.
**”But given his situation, shouldn’t he have withdrawn from next week’s event instead?”** Van der Voort pondered, suggesting a more strategic approach: **”Surely you just say you’re playing the Euro Tour and going away afterwards?”**
However, Van Gerwen remained firm in his decision. **”He was very steadfast and said he wanted to go on vacation with his children. He was very confident and resolute about it. He just said: I’m going on vacation with my kids that week.”**
Van der Voort, speaking as a friend and advisor, expressed his professional disagreement: **”It is his career. If I were his manager, I would say that we weren’t going to do this. Then I would say that it doesn’t make much sense to continue like this.”**
He concluded by emphasizing the personal responsibility: **”But I give him advice and help him where I can. As friends. Right now, he isn’t doing things that I say I believe in. It’s his career. Ultimately, he will be judged on his performance, not me.”**
Source: Based on an article from Darts Planet TV.
